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Member's
Stories
Summer
2008
"MEMORIES
NEVER DIE"
When I wrote to ‘Wagging Tails’
about Charlie’s gastric torsion problem, she and I
had just got back from a long walk on the Yorkshire Moors.
She, inspite of jauntily doing about twice my mileage retrieving
her ball that she had wanted me almost constantly to hit
for her back along the lane or tracks or into birdless heather,
was in her bed asleep with her ball still in her mouth.
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After
a cup of tea, I picked up my walking boots to put
them away, and with an eager leap, there was Charlie
by my side, ready for the off again! |
That
was Charlie. Always full of life. Always ready for fun.
She was brilliant – could find one particular stone
thrown on a pebble beach; her ball hit into the dark.
She could swim faster than me in our pool in Italy or
in the sea, and no river current seemed to phase her.
Now she is dead. Just like that. And a glorious light
has gone out of our lives.
One day, she was a ‘bit out of
sorts’ and the following day, we took her to our
vet who kept her in to do some blood tests.
Just a week later, we had to take the awful but inevitable
decision and she died
peacefully in our arms and is now permanently asleep in
our garden with her ball beside her.
Charlie had been our first flatcoat
and I couldn’t see how another dog could match her
for her beauty, her obedience, her friendliness, her love
of life and people.
Although my husband was more philosophical, I didn’t
believe I could ever love another dog as much and that
it would be unfair to have a replacement that I would
inevitably compare unfavourably with Charlie.
But now it’s about 6 weeks since
Charlie left us and I’m ready for another flatcoat
challenge. I know she won’t be Charlie – but
she’ll be herself and with care, love and teaching,
will be another wonderful addition to our family.
So, it’s now with excitement that
in a few days we are travelling down to North Wales to
choose one of Mrs Griffith’s litter.
It seems such a long time since we brought
Charlie home as an eight week old puppy (only about 7
and a half years actually) that I’m compulsively
reading about ‘introducing your puppy to your home’,
‘sit, stay, come’, etc etc…….
I’ve bought a training lead and an Acme whistle
and am eager to begin again.
I know that Charlie had a wonderful,
happy life and she brought us huge joy. She is there permanently
in our hearts and memory; but future memories are made
from the present, and here we are. Ready and eager to
build up another account in the memory bank of life with
a flatcoat. Wish us all luck.
Sue Mumford
JAKE
THE NEW PUP
A
Story by Steph Scott aged 8yrs
CHAPTER 1 – JAKE ARRIVES
There once was a young girl called
Stephanie. Stephanie had a mam, a dad and two sisters.
Her Mam was called Gillian, her dad was Called Peter and
her two sisters were called Natalie & Laura.
Stephanie had two hamsters called Nibbles & Maisy,
a dog called Sam and a bird called Charlie .
On day Stephanie, Natalie and Laura were called by Peter
and Gillian, Peter said excitedly “We are getting
a new puppy on Saturday isn’t that great?”.
Stephanie and her sisters couldn’t
speak they were astonished infact they could’nt
believe their ears.
They were getting him on Saturday so they only had days
to get ready for him.
“Your mother and I have decided to call him Jake”
announced Peter.
“That’s a great name” said all three
sisters before their parents could change their minds.
Saturday was taking ages to come but eventually it did.
Jake was so Cute although he bit
everyone constantly, Jake & Sam were always biting
and playing with each other.
When Peter and Gillian got Jake he couldn’t bark
but three days later he could.
On the second day Jake went for
his injection and funnily enough Jakes sister was there
with her owner.
Peter thought “what a coincidence” but he
never shouted it out loud apart from when he said it to
the owner of jakes sister.
CHAPTER 2 – JAKE IN THE GARDEN
Jake was always going in the garden
and wrecking the plants and doing his business, whenever
he did his business you had to make a big fuss of him,
so he knew it was clever to do it outside and not inside!
Jake was always trying to get
water out of the water feature in the garden. There were
about twenty doubts as to whether there would be any plants
left at the end of the month because Jake would have killed
them all by lying on them and falling asleep.
CHAPTER 3 – THE GREAT OUTDOORS
“At last, Freedom at Last!”
thought Jake as he and Sam were running around in a field
on a summer’s day.
Stephanie, her dad and Jake had just come back from the
vets from Jakes last injection.
Jake felt strange at first but gradually he got used to
it. Jake was outside more than inside now that he was
used to going out.
Everyone was always patting him
when he was out on his walks, especially people that had
seen him before.
CHAPTER 4 – GROWING UP
Jake was growing up to be a sweet
dog, he was five years old, if he were a human he would
be 35! Jake wasn’t getting played and fussed around
with as much now, Sam would be 96 if he were a human ,
so Jake didn’t bother him anymore. But he still
liked to play with Stephanie and her two sisters
CHAPTER 5 – THE ENDING
Jake was a happy dog for the rest of his life and lived
happily ever after with his friend’s and family
.
************
WALNUTFARM
JACOB
In February our most beautiful, loving, full of life and
loyal friend died. We didn’t know anything was wrong
until he started to be very sick. He spent four days at
the vets on a drip before having a fit and dying.
We didn’t see Jacob eat
or drink anything on his daily run[he never let us out
of his sight] but it still happened! Our vet thought it
was some sort of corrosive poisoning.
Jacob was only 2years old and it has left us devastated.
The other three flatcoats and our golden retriever miss
him terribly. Life has not been the same since he went.
We have written this poem in memory
of Jacob.
“ Jacob was my very best friend, Sadly at 2years
old his life did end.
Something poisonous he did eat or drink nothing could
save him from the brink!
He was a big, beautiful and bouncy boy who would search
my worktops for a toy!
My garden did suffer from his liking for grass, There
wasn’t a tree or plant that he could pass!
Every dog and human with his waggy tail he won His temperament
was just second to none
The girls all loved him, especially little Tillie They
played together and were very silly!
It is here that my tale must end, it’s been about
Jacob my adored & lost friend”.
Joan and Jane Batcheler
PS. A big thank you to Margaret of the Walnut farm flatcoats
for this lovely dog.
********************
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Spring 2008
Photo
- Nick Ridley
"IN AT THE DEEP END "
Working Tests . . . When
I wrote this letter I thought it might be encouragement to anyone
who fancied entering working tests for the first time, but didn't
feel confident enough . . . Having re-read it, I hope it doesn't
have the opposite effect . . . but here goes anyway . . .
Disclaimer:
I have to say at the outset that
I'm not an experienced Flatcoat owner and the only tips on training
that I feel qualified to give is - Get Some! . . . END OF ARTICLE!
- just kidding.
Our Story:
Hewie (a Wizardwood boy) was our
first dog, we have had the pleasure of him for 9 years now.
When my daughter eventually got
her way after wanting a dog for 12 years, she announced that she
wanted a 'Flatcoated Retriever'. My first reaction was "what's
one of those?". The many dog books came out and I recognised
a Flatcoat as being what I remembered from boyhood as just a 'black
retriever'. She had seen them at the Manchester Dog Show in 1999
and coincidentally the winner that year turned out to be Hewie's
dad.
We never intended to do any activities
with Hewie (showing, agility, working etc. as we new nothing about
any of them).
Getting him coincided with me working more from home, so we would
both get plenty of exercise. I was first introduced to the concept
of 'working tests' when as a family we attended a NEFRA Flatcoat
fun-day near Preston. We thought it would be fun seeing a field
full of the same breed and maybe meeting some other owners, we
had no other expectations.
He was only 16 months old and we
were having a lovely day until . . . I was brave enough to enter
an event where a 'training dummy' ( of which I had never seen
before ) was thrown at the far end of a cordoned-off run along
which, hay bales were placed for the dogs to jump over and fetch
back the dummy. I plucked up courage and we had a go. ( From that
moment on, my leisure time with Hewie changed dramatically. )
He wasn't that good at bringing the dummy back I must say, but
his enthusiasm for this sand filled canvas bag 'thing' with a
toggle at the end, was such that It was as if he had found his
purpose in life - and of course . . . he had.
That day we had go after go, and
I finished up buying a dummy. We entered the next NEFRA 'working
test' in puppy class. I felt a real 'raw prawn' among all the
people who knew exactly what they were doing (or so I thought).
I had no idea that working tests had been devised to show how
your dogs were progressing for working in the field . . . seems
obvious now! I knew nothing of what would be expected . . .We
did dreadfully - ( 7 out of 40 over four tests - I remember
it well! ) but I was met with so much encouragement from
some experienced entrants that I decided to take it further and
try to find a training group.
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Hewie
demonstrating how NOT to do a
Double retrieve . . . |
I
was directed towards some much needed help, for which I have ever
since been grateful. From here on watching Hewie perform ( or
not as the case may be . . . ) has given me, and him, so much
pleasure. Occasionally I have felt so proud of him, almost doing
well enough to be placed.
I found that wanting to improve
various aspects of his . . . and my training, has made our walks
together far more interesting and exhilarating. He knows that
when he sees I have a training dummy 'on board' it's not going
to be just a walk, it's going to be a 'great' walk, with interesting
tasks and problems to be solved . . . I would have never believed
he would prefer this to playing with other dogs! In our expeditions
along the meadows and river bank, I am constantly looking for
opportunities to train him and he loves it. We might not be the
best partnership in a working test ( usually due to handler error
[that's me] not him! ) but my word we both enjoy it.
I would say to anyone who thinks
they would like to do something creative with their Flatty . .
. give it a go - but I would suggest unlike myself, make sure
you have some obedience training first and even a smattering of
some basic gundog training. The way I did it was by no means the
best way to go about starting working tests, but for the uninitiated
you have to start somewhere and take the plunge. Even though my
first experience 'in at the deep end' was a disaster,
I managed to stay afloat and occasionally I feel that I'm actually
swimming.
It awakened the desire in me to
find out more and join training sessions. For the both of us it
has expanded our enjoyment of being out together whether walking,
training or entering tests, in a pastime that I could not have
imagined all that time ago. I just didn't realise it would give
us both so much pleasure.
I have only now after all this
long time felt confident enough to write this article/letter,
thinking it might have been frowned upon as being not good advice,
but I have looked upon it from the perspective of a person who
one day had an aberration and unexpectedly found a wonderful pastime.
I hope this might encourage a few people who might be 'hovering',
thinking . . . "should I, or shouldn't I have a go"
to look into it a little further and you never know you might
be as surprised as I was and find yourself with a wonderful pastime.
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Hewie
teaching Frankie how to ” mark”
a dummy…Oops! |
P.S. a little
postscript -
As well as Hewie we now have the
addition of a wonderful Flatcoat puppy, an 'Eskwinds' boy called
Frankie . . . at the time of writing, nine months old. And guess
what - I am getting even more pleasure attempting to train him
than I did first time around . . . good luck - Keith
P.P.S. Just been out with the two of them . . . forgot
to mention how frustrating this training business can be!!
*************
Agility
Topics with Chris, Shorn & Wallace
My name is Riberot Dances with Wolves
, a name I am very proud of – to my friends I am known as
Shornie Boy. I have been with my human “mum & Dad”
for over 6years and I am the light of their lives as they are
mine.
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I
live with a flatcoat X Collie called Hollie who is 11 now
– she is the leader of the dog pack and what “Grumpy
granny Hollie” says goes!
Also in our dog pack is a 21mnth old Flatcoat who is a young
madman (Tacumshin Slaney)
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“Wally Wallace
or Wals” to those who know him.
I love him dearly and he is a really good playmate – he
is very strong and gets a bit rough with me at times although
he always surrenders to other dogs when we are out walking –
after nearly knocking them out with his wagging tail!
Mum took Wallace and I to puppy
socialisation when we were young puppies and to obedience training
when we were 6months – she had to do the course twice with
Wallace as he is very head –strong but it paid off because
he came away with a silver cup for coming 2nd overall in all the
training classes at the time! I have gained my bronze good citizen
award too.
| Wallace
and I go to Agility with “mum” on a Monday night. Wallace
goes into the first training class – (he sometimes plays
mum up and goes off on his own agenda around the equestrian
centre on a horse-poo finding mission) I go into the 2nd class
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I have been going
there for over 4years now so I know the ropes and get lots of
fuss and pats off everyone. I love my agility classes and although
I am not as fast as the collies (nor is mum as fast as their owners!)
I can be accurate when I want to be and get some clear rounds.
A couple of weeks ago our training class H.A.T.S (Harrogate Agility
Training School) did an Agility display for Country side Live
at the Yorkshire Show Ground – we did 4 displays for the
public lasting 40minutes.
I loved all the attention and fuss – people were coming
up to us and asking Mum what breed I was ? and saying how lovely
and clever I was – there were a lot of people from the press
and local radio there, we were all celebrities!
I am also a happy showman and enjoy strutting around the showring,
I go and see a lady called Brenda before a show who prunes me
and makes me look even more handsome. She tells me that I should
be a champion and have such a wonderful classic head _ I like
Brenda, she talks a lot of sense.
I achieved my stud book number this summer at United Retriever
under Jenny Donnelly getting placed 2nd out of 21 dogs in Limit
, mum was so proud of me you would think I had won BIS the way
she was running around the ring!
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My
human Dad saw his first Flatcoat about 15yrs ago where he
was working , he didn’t recognise the breed and had
to ask the owner what it was. He came home that night and
told mum that he had been with this amazing dog and that one
day he would have to get one |
(the humans already
had a collie x and a couple of Westies at the time) .
Anyway for dads 50th Birthday several
years later I came into their lives and it was love forever!
Christine Wetton
*************
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