Flattering or an insult?

I have been mulling over this issue for quite a while, and have decided it might be useful to consult my blog friends.

Fellow pups, I suspect I am not the only chappie out there whose owner is tempted to decorate the house with images or ornaments depicting one's own breed of dog.

The question is, should we feel pleased that our humans find our appearance so appealing that the live version is not enough? Or be insulted that, indeed, we are not considered, of ourselves, sufficient?

My predecessor Hamish must have struggled greatly with this topic, given the ubiquity of Westie collectibles for sale in this part of the world. On the whole, since I belong to a more exclusive breed (I refuse to say 'less popular') it has not to date been such a problem for me. Gail, as we know, is not herself an enthusiastic shopper, and only the most dedicated of her friends have managed to track down wire-haired fox terrier related ornaments.

Well a few months ago, this all changed with the arrival of a sizeable oil painting.

I was shocked!

So much so that it is only now that I have summoned the strength to address the subject.

I mean, not one but FOUR wire-haired fox terriers taking up residence in our sitting room. And a pretty lively bunch they look too.

Gail says "Bertie, that is just the point. I saw this old painting for sale, attributed to a well known Victorian animal artist, and the way the terriers are shown is so, well, so real, so like you, so full of action and energy, I thought it just perfect".

Can you see the likeness?

Well perhaps after all I should consider it a compliment.

Although I thought Gail was going a bit far when she told me to "think of them as your new friends Bertie".

Advice for panicky people

We get a lot of boring financial stuff on the radio and TV these days don't we?

I expect, like me, you've heard about some new problem, could be a country defaulting on debt payment, or a volcano erupting, or a billionaire banker sneezing in his coffee, causing 'panic in the markets' and plummeting share prices.

Some readers of my 5th July post have suggested that my Houdini-style Great Train Escape stunt in Newcastle railway station might have caused Gail to panic, and even have nightmares. And then there was the Green Dog episode five days later.....

I am happy to report that my owner is not in general a panicky person (although she does have her moments, and now she's insisting I'm to wear Hamish's old harness next time we travel by rail).

So anyway, I have two recommendations for panic-prone humans.

1. Don't get a job in the stock markets.
2. Don't own a wire-haired fox terrier.

Toodle pip!
Bertie (working to make the world a better place).

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside? (+ gluey ears!)

Can you believe we have this beach in Aberdeen, the sea is less than two miles from my, sorry our home, and yet Gail didn't take me down there until a couple of days ago.

Something about waiting for warm weather, apparently. Will she ever learn? Hello Gail? We live in Aberdeen! Summer took place on 18 June. Oh you blinked and missed it? That's too bad.

Actually folks (and I'm a teeny bit embarrassed to admit this, especially to Uncle Eric) I did find it scary at first.

Yes and Gail was so busy chuntering on about enjoying the magnificent sense of semi-infinite space etc. etc. it didn't occur to her that I might be feeling rather overwhelmed and not quite ready to go splashing about in the water, which, by the way, tastes nasty and salty, not at all like the stuff that comes out of the tap.

And then I kept finding weird things.

Most disturbing. Animal, vegetable or mineral, or alien anti-matter?

Well it was a lot to take in, so I sat down for a ponder.

And then decided it was good fun after all.

I hope we can go again soon..

PS I don't know if you've noticed but something funny has happened to my ears. Gail has glued them down to my forehead! She says it's just while I'm teething, to make sure they don't start sticking up too much. A wire-haired fox terrier vanity thing apparently. Quite what teeth have got to do with ears is a mystery to me, but I guess she's the pack leader round here, or so she likes to think. So anyway, as I don't feel any different, with or without the glue (and I can assure you that the world will know if I start to get uncomfortable) I've decided to humour her on this one for the moment.

PPS For those of you that are interested in facts and figures, I now weigh 4.5 kg (i.e. just under 10 lb), despite having lost 3 teeth this week. And I am over a foot tall!