Chief & Lady: An Introduction

by


Name: Chief

Breed: Basset Hound

Gender: Male

Age: 9 years old. He’ll be 10 in October! Getting old now…that’s like a million in dog years.

Size: around 28 or 29kg. In other words overweight. He was up to 34kg so he has lost quite a bit. 

Colouring: tri-colour

Allergies: grass, dust, dust mites & his own dandruff

Nicknames: Chiefy, Chiefy Chops, Cheeky Chops, Fat Dog.

History: we bought him as a puppy from a breeder. It’s something I’d never do again. They were also breeding German Shepards & West Highland Terriers. 

Good with…

Dogs? No & Yes! He tends to be nervous of them mostly. He can play with other dogs but doesn’t necessarily want to. 

Cats? No but before lady came along he was terrified of them. She makes him braver.

Kids? Yes fine. Any human who gives him attention is acceptable. 

Likes: FOOD, treats, food, did I mention food? His red soft bone toy, covering himself in blankets, rubs and attention of any kind! 


Name: Lady
Breed: Jack Russell

Gender: Female

Age: 7 years old. We got her when she was roughly 1 & a half years old. 

Size: around 8 or 9kg. Also overweight but not by too much. 

Colouring: black & white

Allergies: none that we know of. 

Nicknames: Lady Lumps, Lady Girl, Mouse Face.

History: She turned up at the Pitch & Putt club my Mam plays in & when no1 claimed her, my Mam brought her home. We brought her to the vets and she wasn’t microchipped. We had no intention of keeping her but she won us over. 

Good with…

Dogs? No. 

Cats? No, she despises them! 

Kids? Yes fine. She loves women and kids but has to come around to men & sometimes she never does. 

Likes: Treats, licking people’s faces, climbing up on top of Chief for a snooze and long walks. 

My Week(end) in Photos…

by

This past weekend was a bank holiday weekend in Ireland so I thought I’d share my weekend in photos here. I shared a post like this a few years ago and I don’t know why I don’t do it more. There’s endless photos in my camera roll that never end up anywhere so I’m going to take the opportunity to share them here. (not pictured: drinks with friends on Friday, nachos for the Champion’s League Final on Saturday and drinks and dinner with Dave’s family on Sunday!)

Lady & Chief

Going Shopping in New Sandals Rasmopoliton

Dublin CityLadyCooling Down on a Warm Day

Chief

Picnics in the rainCar Picnic
A belly rub for Chief

1) Lady & Chief enjoying a lazy Friday afternoon (not sure there’s any other kind for them!),  2) Going shopping in my new sandals,  3) A razmo before dinner,  4) Dublin – Henry Street with a view of the Spire, 5) Lady looking a little fed up of having her picture taken, 6) nothing cures a hangover like an ice-pop, 7) Chief wishing he could have my ice-pop, 8) I was using my new picnic basket this weekend rain, hail or shine!, 9) picnic in the car, it is!, 10) If Chief rolls over and presents himself for a belly rub, you don’t say no!!

Things to Know About Lady…

by

Lady

  1. She’s 6 years old (As of December 2015, roughly!)
  2. She was a rescue. Kind of. You can find out more about that here.
  3. She’s not keen on strangers but she’s more afraid of them when they come into our house and she’s downright terrified of 99% of strange men. It seems to be getting worse as she gets older but our house was broken into last year and I think that might be part of the problem.
  4. If she decides you’re one of her people, you’re in! She will give you all the love she can muster.
  5. She fights with Chief sometimes and it’s for two reasons. The first is because she’s jealous of how close he gets to my mam and I. Just the two of us. No-one else needs to be protected apparently. The second is when she thinks he’s doing something he shouldn’t. Like taking her food or taking things from the table.
  6. On the other hand, she would protect him with her life. When they are out in the world, she would take on any dog to protect him. It reminds me of the way I am with my brother, I can complain about him but no-one else can. It’s a sibling thing.
  7. Licking people’s faces is her absolute favourite thing to do.
  8. She waits until Chief finishes eating his food before she starts eating hers.
  9. She waits until Chief is under a blanket and asleep and then she climbs up on top of him and snuggles in for heat.
  10. Her tail was docked (it happened before we got her) and so her whole backside wiggles when she’s excited.
  11. She’s a great mouse catcher.
  12. She will walk FOREVER. You could go for a 2 hour walk and the minute she sees the house she pulls back on the lead.
  13. Chewing things is a real problem with her. Cushions, sofas, shoes, GLASS, plastic. Literally anything not nailed down. The cute thing is all you have to do is say her name in a stern voice and she drops whatever she has and backs off.
  14. She senses moods very well and if you’re upset and not already being comforted by Chief she attempts to lick your face to fix it all.
  15. She has loads of nicknames: Lady Lumps, Lady Lou, Lou, Mouse Face, Baby Girl, Princess and Prinny.

Things to Know About Chief…

by

Chief

  1. He’s 8 years old. He’ll be 9 on the 14th October 2016. The 14th of October was the date my Nana died. Chief was born exactly 10 years, to the day, after she died. I’d like to think it was a sign but she never would have sent such a lazy slob. 
  2. We bought Chief as a puppy and I hope he’s the last dog I’ll ever buy. There’s so many dogs to be rescued. I’d like to think if I ever get another dog, I can rescue.
  3. He’s an absolute attention whore. He’s not picky about it either. He will take attention from absolutely anybody that comes into the house and for as long as they are willing to rub him, talk to him, kiss him. Unlike Lady, he’s not that interested in pleasing people. It’s all about the love he can get.
  4. He doesn’t like it when strangers approach him when he’s out for walks. It makes him very nervous. Same goes for other dogs.
  5. Chest rubs and ear rubs are his absolute favourite things.
  6. He also loves food. Any food. If it’d edible he’ll take it.The only food he has ever turned down is tomato. Plus, he’s a beggar. Those sad eyes work on almost everyone.
  7. The minute he gets under a blanket, he twirls around until the blanket is completely wrapped around him and he falls asleep. He won’t move for hours. 
  8. He barks at cats like he wishes he could catch them, but the truth is he only started to be brave when we got Lady. When he was a couple of years old, I caught him sneaking past a cat in our back garden who was eating his food. 
  9. He has lots of allergies including grass, dust, dust mites and his own dandruff. Yep, you read that right. He’s pretty much allergic to himself.
  10. When he’s on steroids for his allergies, he sits at the fridge or the bin and cries for food.
  11. He only likes short walks, around the block would do him fine but if he could get off the lead and run in the grass, he’d do it for hours.
  12. If he senses that you are upset, he’ll situate himself so that he can lie with his head on your chest or lap and it’s the only time he won’t nudge you for rubs.
  13. He has loads of nicknames: Chiefy, Chiefy Chops, Fat Chops, Cheeky Chops, Baby Boy & Grumpelstiltskin.

5 Things I like About Chief & Lady

by

LadyChiefChief & Lady

1) Lady, 2) Chief,  3) Chief and Lady with the widest eyes in the world. 2 guesses as to what I was holding in my hand above the lens.

 

Challenge Post 4: A List of 5 Things You Like About Something

 

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself

– Josh Billings

 

I mean, really, what else am I going to write about for this challenge post? Obviously there are lots of things I could write about, but I decided since there are easily a 100 things I like about my dogs, the hardest thing should be minimising it to 5. 

 

1. Their loyalty

This one goes for the majority of dogs. They’re so loyal. Some people love the independence cats have but I think there’s nothing like the loyalty a dog has.

 

2. Lady’s unwavering need to protect Chief from other dogs.

She is a Jack Russell after all, so it’s in her nature to protect her pack, but when she goes out for walks her main job is to protect Chief. She fights with him regularly in the house and often growls warnings at him if he gets too close to her pet humans, but when they’re around other dogs it’s a different story. He panics with his tail between his legs and she circles him, growling at any dog that comes near. It kind of reminds me of the loyalty siblings have. I give out about my brother and fight with him sometimes, but the minute anyone else says anything about him I go into protective mode.

 

3. Their greetings

If you leave for a long time, when you return a cat will sometimes ignore you for days. Dogs, however, will greet you with such excitement it often makes them actually cry.  If you have never watched videos on YouTube of the reaction dogs have when their owners return from war, do it now. Although, be prepared for the emotional roller coaster. What I actually like most about it is that you could be gone for days and they get excited when they see you, but you get the best possible reaction when you go out to the car to get something and come straight back.

 

4. Chief’s Basset Hound laziness

I think if you continued to rub him he would never move other than to eat. Getting rubs and  eating treats are his all  time favourite things. He’s such a big slob and would sleep all day if he could. He has an obsession with snuggling under blankets. If you let him on the sofa and cover him with a blanket he’ll twist until it’s wrapped around him and he won’t move for hours. He thinks he’s a tiny puppy so sometimes he just wants to lie on your lap and sigh up into your face.  The last of his Basset traits that I love are the facial expressions. At any given moment he can look sad, confused, surprised (my personal favourite) or happy (usually when hes lying upside down and it looks like he’s smiling.). Either way, they’re all hilarious.

 

5. Their company

Last, but certainly not least, I like their company. They have been my saving grace this past year while Dane has been away. My family and friends have been amazing but it’s those moments of quietness when no-one is around and a tiny bit of loneliness kicks in that they have been  there. Always available for a snuggle when you need it. Always willing to share their warmth (but never their treats…obviously). Somehow they always know when all you need is a good cuddle.

Missing The Fur Babies

by

 

ChiefyLady

I’m already half way through my time in Dubai (wow, that went by fast) but I’m really missing these two dorks today. I miss the humans too. I haven’t fully transformed into ‘crazy dog lady’ just yet. Plenty of time for that.

Freedom for the Dogs

by

Chief and Lady Chief relaxing 2

 

The dogs love getting out and running around in the grass. When it’s time to go home Chief just sits down and refuses to leave. He loves grass, but he’s allergic to it so we have to keep him out of it most of the time. Lady on the other hand does what she’s told more often, so when we call her she usually comes to the boot of the car.