Spike's Bitch

My old dog before Spike was a BC/Lab/Staff mix - he was thirteen when I adopted him and seventeen and a bit when he died, and I - well, any individual dog is irreplaceable, but I couldn't be walking around dogless. All I knew for sure was that I wanted an active, intelligent dog that I could do stuff with, an interesting dog that'd keep me busy and give me a reason not to turn myself into a 700lb couchpotato. I told the shelter I needed a gundog, herding dog or mix thereof under two years old that had to be good with cats - Spike was the first dog they got in who fitted that description and he happened to be a purebred BC. I went to meet him and boom - love at first sight like a lightning bolt. I'm just lucky he decided to keep me

I'm so glad he's okay! I'd take the day off if it were me - you'll hardly be fit to do any work after a fright like that anyway. Throw the boy a ball for me when he's feeling more up to it... Liz & the Captain xxx

That was last winter's one and only snowfall, and the first we've had here in about five years, so I had to make sure to photograph Spike in it. Bournemouth is too damn far South...

I ended up as CaptainsLady on Champdogs because it has some sort of filter that won't allow the word 'bitch' in a username, which I thought was a bit daft on a board about dogs! I haven't bothered with them for a long time, though; I like it much better here. This is my Spike Liz & the Captain xxx

I feed raw myself, but if I was going for a good kibble I'd look at James Wellbeloved or Burns. And welcome to the boards - I have a vague memory of seeing you around when I lurked at Champdogs, and if I'm right you should fit in well here. Rub Tor's ears for me! Liz & the Captain xxx

Well, this won't be fun for either of you, but things could have been a lot worse. Prayers & good wishes for beautiful Briar Rose, Liz & Spike xxx

If it was Spike - I would do it. Good luck to you and Remi, Liz & Spike xxx

^Even more off-topic: Spike did something similar with a herding video, but lost interest after realising there was no way he could get in the little box and the sheep weren't behind it. (Spike has never seen a real sheep as far as I know - he might have tried harder if he had). Max, my foster GSP, is fascinated by mirrors and will gaze at himself for hours. His new mum put a picture of him on her screensaver and now he stares at that too. Liz n' Spike xxx

Praying for Briar Rose now. (And hug Rob for me so he doesn't feel left out...) Liz & Spike xxx

((((hugs for Kim and Charlotte)))) Liz & Spike xxxxxx

^still praying for you as well - I hadn't forgotten! L & S xxx

Still praying, both for Tam's health and your poor shredded nerves. Love, Liz & Spike xxx

It's worth looking into raw feeding too - Spike is also a non-foodie but he does love his raw beef. Liz & Captain Picky Spoilt Bugger xxx

Praying for Tam and Charlotte now. Liz & Spike xxx

What he said. I always read all the herding stuff - even though I doubt Spike or I will ever do it, it's fascinating to learn as much as I can. Interestingly, the way Mick is looking at his sheep is exactly how Spike looks at his cat. Liz & Spike xxx

Excellent! Been watching this thread anxiously... hug him for me tomorrow. Liz & Spike xxx

In my ferreting days I used to hang out with a few working lurcher people, and the way it works in practice is: always sighthound (speed and prey drive), nearly always Border Collie (agility and brains) but sometimes Dobermann, Bedlington Terrier (working, not show), Beardie, Spaniel, Foxhound, Otterhound or Beagle. And of course the sighthound component can be anything from a whippet to a deerhound - depends what you're breeding the lurchers to hunt. Ali, for example, would probably be best for rabbits and might be up to the smaller hares like the Scottish or American ones, but he might be a bit small for big English brown hares. Give him a hug for us when he holds still long enough! Liz & the Captain, (whose liver-based birthday cake has given him the farts) xxx

That's excellent! Looking forward to the pics... Liz and the Captain xxx P.S. Sent you a PM ages ago & you still haven't read it.... P.P.S. I only spotted the one typo...

He'll be two. He's so grown-up these days... having nine-month-old Max around really highlighted that. Whenever I said 'Max, NO!' Spike would bite his nose, and when I answered the door once and lost my grip on Max and he ran off down the road, Spike dashed after him and herded him back into the house. My hero! Liz and her Big Boy xxx

Spike's birthday is the day after tomorrow! Gonna make him a liver cake and have a party in the park.... Tell Jazz many happy returns from both of us! Liz & Spike xxx

I'm so sorry - Buddy was a beautiful dog. Hugs and love from all three of us to all three of you. Liz, Spike & Max xxx P.S. Want to hear all about Finn and sheep when you're feeling up to it...

Melanie, you are a genius at hitting nails on the head. That's exactly how I'm feeling now, and why I decided this week that Max the GSP is my foster dog and not my second dog after all. (GSP Rescue are doing a home check on a likely new home for him right now) Max is a glorious little thing, and if Spike had never existed you'd have had to shoot me before I gave him up. But Spike isn't happy about the 'other dog', and Max desperately wants to be an 'everything dog'. It isn't working. I wish the new home was next door, though... Liz, Captain Spike and Max, Crusher of Beetles xxx

^ Keeps the mosquitoes off, too.

Max the GSP has inherited Spike's old nickname of 'Evil Puppy', but Spike is still The Captain. The local children who play with Spike in the park every day call him Doggy Wilkinson (after rugby player Jonny Wilkinson) or simply 'The coolest dog in the world'. That's my man! Liz, :cool: Spike and Max xxx

People were always telling me that Spike's predecessor Scampi was overweight - he was a BC/Lab/Staffie mix, and he had a massive Staffie barrel chest and a thick Lab coat. Together with the little collie paws & little pointy collie muzzle, his proportions were rather odd, and in his old age his belly sagged a bit and the lipoma on his side grew enormous. He did look fat until you felt him and realised it was all hair, tumour and lung space. Spike actually weighs the same as Scampi did (38lbs) but he's one of Nature's ectomorphs. I'm already overfeeding him (according to the guidelines on the kibble bag, anyway) but I'm not sure it would be possible to make him fat. Wish I was like that... Fat Liz & Captain Lanky xxx