Introducing Ruby

On 05/07/2014 By TontowilliamsIn Dogs, pupdate

2014-07-05 11.00.39 I’m pleased to be able to introduce Ruby (for those of you new here, she’s the one on the left). Since we lost Sparky some months ago, our pack had been feeling a little too small, but the time didn’t feel right to introduce a new dog. In the last few weeks however, we started to look tentatively. Not sure whether we wanted another puppy or to go for a rescue dog. Ultimately we went for a puppy, not for any particular reason, just one of those right place, right time situations.

Ruby (that’s the name we settled on after running through about a hundred different names), is half springer spaniel (her mum) and half border collie (her dad). I can see more of the spaniel in her at the moment, but it will be interesting to see how she changes over the coming weeks and months.

Wilson is doing a grand job. We were a little concerned with how he might behave when we introduced a new member to the household pack, but he’s been teaching her and playing with her and overall they seem to be getting on really well. She’s got him wrapped around her little paws I think, but I’m really pleased that they are getting along so well.

It’ll be a few more weeks before she can go out in to the wide world, we’ll have to wait for her to have her second set of inoculations. In the meantime, there’s plenty to be getting on with. Back into the training programme! First step, house training.

I suspect that there will be more “pupdates” over the next few weeks and months.

Origins

Ball Jump (Full Speed & Slo Mo)

On 21/04/201421/04/2014 By TontowilliamsIn Dogs, Video

For whatever reason instagram wouldn’t let me upload the slo mo version of this video, so posting here.

Wilson’s Story – A New Life Begins

On 07/09/2013 By TontowilliamsIn Dogs, Wilson's Story2 Comments

I got used to my new life really quickly and actually quite liked the cage that I had to sleep in, particularly because it had lots of toys, blankets and cushions and so was really comfortable.

In fact I spent lots of time in there, even when it wasn’t time to sleep, although I did a lot of that too!

Alan and Ann said that I grew really fast, and was a quick learner, particularly when it came to becoming trained in the house.

I still wasn’t allowed outside of the house and had to go and see someone called Vet. He was very nice and made a real fuss of me. I didn’t really notice the first needle that he put in my neck, but then he gave me something called a chip, and that was a BIG needle and it hurt a bit.

Alan said that the chip was a good thing and would stop me getting lost, so I guess the pain was worth it.

Vet said that I would be allowed to go out of the house a week after my needles, but that was to be a long week!

I did enjoy the car trip. Alan put my cage on the back seat of the car, he said that it was so that I would feel safe, but really I think he just didn’t want me sitting in the front with him, even though he did let me sit on his lap in the drive for a bit until we were ready to go.

Sparky and I were starting to get on much better now. I think Sparky was just showing me a tough exterior but really he was a gentle giant. He would play with me from time to time, and he played with me a lot more when Alan and Ann weren’t in the room, so I think the act was as much for their benefit as for mine.

I loved being out in the garden, there was so much to see and do, and I was always able to find things to keep me occupied. I did however have one small incident, which I think got blown out of all proportion.

You see; there is a pond in the garden. Alan and Ann had both said to be careful around it and to make sure that I didn’t get to close to the edge. However it looked just like an extension of the lawn with the pond weed floating on the top and I thought it would be really easy just to walk across the top of it from one side to the other.

Boy was I ever wrong, and did I get wet!

Not just once though, but twice because Alan made me have something called a bath, and he washed off all of the weed and the smelly mud with something called shampoo, in the bathroom sink.

It was a very humiliating experience, and not something that I ever plan to repeat. At least not for a while, anyway.

I was finding out a lot about my new home, it had all the mod cons, and great parents and a step-brother.

Wilson’s Story is an occasional series of posts charting the first year of my dog, Wilson’s life.

Part One of Wilson’s Story can be found here.

All of the parts so far, can be found here.

Origins

On 31/12/2012 By TontowilliamsIn Dogs, Wilson's Story7 Comments

I was born on 28th March 2010, at Netley Marsh in Hampshire. I’m a mongrel, or so my paperwork says. That means that my parents were two different breeds of dog.

My mum was a Border Collie, and my dad, a Jack Russell Terrier.

Alan says that I take after my mum for my colouring – black and white – and after my dad for my size.

Alan said from the first day that I came home with him that I would probably take after both my parents for my temperament – smart but stubborn.

Continue reading “Origins” →

Dante & Conygar

On 06/03/201114/03/2012 By TontowilliamsIn Uncategorized

Our first day of holiday.

Started with a walk with the dogs on Exmoor. We are right on the edge of the moor, and a 800 metre walk takes us straight onto the moor.

This afternoon we went for a walk on Dunster Beach and could see Dunster Castle and Conygar Tower in the distance.

I’ve started my first full book of the holidays. “Dante’s Numbers” by @David_Hewson, which I am really enjoying. Holidays are a time for reading.

Dog Walk – A Photomotion

On 16/01/2011 By TontowilliamsIn Uncategorized2 Comments

One of the groups I belong to on Vimeo is the Weekend Project. Basically on a Friday (once or twice a month), I get sent an email with a challenge. If I have the time and the inspiration I take on the challenge and create a video. This weekends challenge can be found here.

In simple terms this is joining together a succession of still images to make a video. I took over 400 images on a Canon 500D to make my entry. I haven’t used them all because, believe it or not it was hard to get the whole thing under the 3 minute time limit (mine comes in at 2mins59secs!).

Although this is a competition, and I would love to win, there are some very talented videographers on Vimeo so the chances are slim, but you do have to be in it to win it, as they say. I use these challenges more to improve my skills, and learn new techniques and I’ve learnt a lot from this weekends challenge. I was using a relatively new camera, that I’m not that familiar with, plus this has stretched my editing skills (or perhaps just the editing software).

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy. I’m rather proud of the end result.