Uploads from meg price

20/52 Huh?

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:43:00 -0700

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Not the most intelligent expression here ;-) Water tends to send Barney-dog loopy. He is slightly obsessed with finding and "rescuing" rocks and sticks from under the surface of ponds, streams etc. Right before I took this pic, he'd been reversing round and round the pond, bobbing up and down, while squealing like a stuck pig, trying to dig and pull out what I assume was a good sized rock. Every now and again, he'd stick his head right under water - still squealing/blowing bubbles - hence the muddy face! I should really video him one day... Usually I'm just too busy laughing at him to work the camera long ;)

The pond where I took this is next to the lovely St Anne's Well cafe, on the hillside of the Beacon. We go there quite a bit as there are no roads, it serves nice food and is very "dog-friendly" (even allowing them inside!). It's great, I can sit, have a chat with friends and eat cake while Barn entertains himself. He actually normally doesn't go in this particular pond - instead he confuses and amuses walkers/ customers by running round and round the walled edge, with an air of extreme busyness and importance. Every time he spots a twig, or leaf floating on the surface, he will crane his neck out (being careful not to fall in - although there have been accidents!) and snap at it, dumping it on the side before continuing to circle.

If he sees one further out, he will furiously dig and smack at the water (while squealing quietly and angrily), until it bobs within reach of an outstretched paw, when he'll drag it close enough to grab and remove it. Once he's removed as much floating debris as poss, Barn simply perches on the edge; determinedly digging/snapping at the water, as though trying to reach an object underneath. He will do this circling/grabbing/digging routine for a good 30 mins without stopping. We often have people ask if he's lost something (other than his marbles) - although the most common response is for people to simply fall about laughing! Someone asked if we charged for the entertainment last week... He's one odd dog ;-)

19/52 ~ To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring - it was peace.

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:20:00 -0700

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Quote from Milan Kunderas
On Tuesday evening, my dad, Barney and I took a stroll up Midsummer Hill... Well, only my dad really strolled. Barney careened up and down the slopes, flushing out pheasants, attacking trees (invisible squirrels harbourers) and generally being nuts. I gasped along behind, wondering why I'd been so idiotic to suggest we do a hill walk on a hot day! Once I reached the top though, I remembered :) This is where the keener local hippies come and watch the sunrise at stupid o'clock in the morning on the summer solstice. Lazier hippies (and a couple of times we've joined them - not that we're particularly "alternative"!) wrap up warm and come on the morning of the winter solstice!

It is certainly a pretty view and Midsummer Hill is also the site of an large Iron Age hill fort - which adds to the magical atmosphere. Anyway, it was nice to sit up here for a while, especially on a warm spring evening - instead of a freezing winter morning! I wonder how many people have sat right here with their dogs over the millennia. Barney was listening intently to the sheep chattering to each other in the fields below although he eventually came to sit on top of me when he decided I'd taken enough photos! We ended the walk by letting Barney have a good swim in the nearby quarry (he came back with a prize - a football that had floated far into the water!)... Perfect evening really :)

Soo, Barney had his 1st dog training class on Sunday! It went really well. The instructor was nice; Barney liked her (she greeted him by handing over chicken and cheese!). 4 other dogs - a female BC, 2 terriers and a whippet. Barn was a bit squeaky but focused nicely once we were "working". The trainer even used him to demonstrate new exercises a couple of times - and he only glanced back at me every 2.5 seconds ;) We did simple things- "sit", "watch me"... Barney couldn't believe he was getting huge rewards for that, kept throwing in other tricks, so I had to be quick marking the correct behaviour. Anyway training in a new place, with new people & dogs completely wore him out - he was zonked all evening! Lots of fun, looking forward to next week... in the meantime, I'd better get on with our "homework" :)

18/52 Winter, Winter, Winter.... SPRING!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:02:00 -0700

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Winter seemed endless this year, but like magic, spring has now arrived! Everything in the woods is green as green and growing like mad. Took Barney for his first "proper" walk today after a week of not going out at all, followed by a few days of limited exercise due to his injured paw... He was extremely happy to be racing around fields and woods for a couple of hrs :) Not overly impressed about being stopped for a photo though - his expression here made me smile, "hurry up, hooman"! Aware I needed to hurry, this was pretty much shot blind - so it was kind of Barney to stand in a position where light fell over his eyes... Nice viewed on black :)

Eek, we start our dog training classes on Sunday. Excited but I am going to have to get Barney out a lot for the remainder of the week as atm he's a bit crazy and over the top. He doesn't do well with change, confinement, or breaks from socialisation. He's extra, extra bouncy and excitable now - which for this dog, is really saying something. He's also a little edgy and boggle eyed around strangers and dogs. We've not had any barking sessions or anything but I want him a bit calmer before he sits in a room with a bunch of new people and pups ;-)

Still, despite some concerns I'll have a very squeaky and slightly insane dog, I am really looking forward to going, it will be really different for Barney and me. Also, I know it is only a little class but after a couple of years of not really doing much of anything, esp not anything new (for those in 52 Weeks who're new and don't know, in 2011 at the age of 22, I was rather annoyingly diagnosed with cancer, which I've now beaten but treatment left me pretty exhausted!). Hopefully, we'll have fun anyways :) We shall see...
Hope everyone has a lovely week!
Reached Explore #120

Smiling In Springtime ( 8 in the comments!)

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:00:00 -0700

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We have plenty of trees in our back garden but only one of them has pretty pink blossoms every spring... Barney has done his best to destroy it over the years, the branches are low and trail almost to the ground - and sometimes, when allowed out in the garden, Barney will race across the patio, launch himself at the poor tree and rip and tare at the branches... He's an evil little vandal! Perhaps his desire to maim the blossom tree is due to my insistence he poses next to it at least a few times each spring? :-) Not that he ever seems to mind that much while we're having our photo sessions - he does get "paid" for all posing duties!

Barney's a happy guy this weekend! After a week of no walks, and nasty salt water bathing and bandage changes twice a day, his back paw is looking massively improved :) He's no longer wearing a bandage and has been out for a couple of walks this weekend. I'm still being careful, he's being kept on a long leash atm, to stop him running about like a total loon and damaging himself again... Still, Barney-dog's awfully excited - he won't stop bouncing, barking, squealing and spinning when he sees me go get the lead! This afternoon he was SO happy, he even barked his way all the way up the street to the little park at the end of our road ;) You'd think the poor pup hadn't been walked for a year, not one week!

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend and has a good week too! Below are some more springtime shots of Barney which I also liked...
Reached Explore #367

17/52 No Walkies?

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:18:30 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

What do you mean...NO walkies?
Well, you've got a poorly paw haven't you Barney?
Yeah, yeah... but I want my walkies! Look, see I got your shoes for you...
Barney, you're limping everywhere and have a bandaged foot... You can't go out for walkies.
But... Please?!
Sorry Barney. I really am!

Poor puppy dog - no walks for nearly a week. I took him for a "nice" extra walk on Friday evening last week, after he'd had a horrid afternoon (vaccinations time and Barn's terrified of the vets, although our new vet is lovely and helping him get over that!). Unfortunately it turned out to be a not-so-pleasant walk... when we got home, he got blood all over the floor and couldn't put weight on his back leg. I checked his paw and there was a nasty gash across two of his pads - caused by glass, I imagine :( I was concerned he'd need stitches but I've clipped the fur between his pads, soaked the paw twice a day in warm salty water, changing the bandages twice daily too and he is slowly healing up.

Bless him, Barney's been very good about it all. It was obviously really sore at first but apart from the occasional flinch Barney has been exceptionally tolerant of all the doctoring and fussing. No grumbling, or trying to escape... He's also been good about not having exercise (the wounds are right on the base of his pads so, I think the less pressure he puts on it - therefore, the less walking he does - the better). Having said that, the last couple of days Barney's been getting bouncier again... He looks a bit sad here but really enjoyed going out for a little training session and photo shoot in the garden today. Fingers crossed his paw will be fully healed soon - in about 10 days we're starting our training classes and I want him happy and healthy for them!

Oh, this was done to take part in the "Shoes" challenge in the 52 Weeks for Dogs group :) We're a week late but I wanted to take part - plus, we're currently a bit limited as far as what Barney can do, so I thought letting him sit and hold my pumps was a good non-strenuous idea!!

16/52 Barney's Flying Leap - and 5th Year on Flickr!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 11:35:00 -0700

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My main model, doing his thing :) Barney is such a wonderful dog to photograph! I am completely spoiled by him... He'll willingly do pretty much anything I ask - be directed into position from a distance and stay still for minutes at a time, look at the camera quite happily, let me do ridiculous things to him, like bury him sand, or put things on his head! He happily leaped that ditch maybe a dozen times while I scrabbled about taking photos, trying to find a good angle and avoid getting my feet soaked!

Didn't pick up a camera (except a disposable one for obligatory holiday/family shots) before Barney-dog arrived. Within weeks of getting him and having taken a couple of snapshots to document my handsome new dog, I realised Barney was a natural poser and it was enough to spark a tentative interest in photography, so I joined Flickr to have a place to store pics... Couldn't guess what a inspiring, supportive and wonderful experience I'd have here on here - or how many fantastic people I'd "meet" though the site over the years!

Never dreamed photos of my rescue pup would generate any kind of interest but have now had 750,000+ views on them, which staggers me. Anyway - thanks to everyone who's taken time to look at my photos, read about Barney's (& my own!) adventures and comment... Special thanks to my lovely Flickr friends - some of whom I've "known" almost 5yrs, some, I'm just getting to know. I still enjoy being active on Flickr, taking photos and looking at other people's images - and Barney's still enjoying being a model doggie - so I hope you're not sick of us quite yet!

I'd hoped to join in the "Shoes" challenge in the 52 Weeks group this week... Planned a nice walk on the hills with Barney in the sunshine this weekend and a shoe related photo. Unfortunately, that wasn't to be - Fri, Barney injured his paw. Blood everywhere, he can't put any weight on his back leg, nasty wound on his paw pad (bit of deja vu!)... I've bandaged him up and he's looking awfully miserable. So I've gone with a happy Barney shot from earlier in the week. We'll attempt the challenge next week.
Reached Explore #455

Stolen Photos!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:08:00 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

OK, so I was alerted earlier, through the 52 Weeks for Dogs group that a site ( www.goodfon.com ) was stealing/using many dog photos from Flickr. Well, I had a bit of time free this evening, so had a scroll through the pages - I got to around pg 35. I was a bit shocked by the sheer numbers of stolen images so I thought I'd send a shout out to those I recognised.

If you've been tagged on this photo and wish to get your work taken down, please do a search for "Dog" and scroll through the pages - in some cases you might need to go pretty far back. I've listed one example per person but many have had several images take (I spotted dozens of a couple of photographers' photos)....

I know not everyone is vigorous in keeping control over copyrighted photos and theft is a frustratingly common issue on Flickr - I think many photographers give up or make their photos viewable to friends only. Still, I thought I'd make this list for those of you who still keep tabs on where your photos are being used and wish to enforce your copywrites .

Una06: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/435041.html
Nicole Weihmann: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/456705.html
sprinkle happiness: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/454144.html (they've got LOTS of yours)
~Mr. Fox~: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/452826.html
tv writer: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/437625.html
songbird who sings: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/431530.html
Casey Moore: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/431972.html
Champ&Candice: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/431739.html
Betty Gillis: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/417964.html
Sam: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/397668.html
aussieinyellow: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/416493.html
Groundworks digital: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/405179.html
GLASman1: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/413456.html
Ciscolo: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/410867.html
Anda74: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/404797.html (Ouzo popped up a few times)
Red Star: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/399720.html
Regina: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/400768.html
Dogloverlou: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/400767.html
kaoni701: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/400247.html
sure2talk: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/376069.html
Keartona: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/351536.html
RocketDog1170: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/367361.html (quite a lot)
Stuart Dootson: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/339502.html
ShelleyWC: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/336368.html
LunaG: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/310720.html
Pomaroo: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/326834.html (quite a few but far back)
DKC-photography: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/313335.html
browndog_09: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/310721.html
ShellVergel: www.goodfon.com/wallpaper/310869.html
miss_n_arrow: animals.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/1375013/

*They don't have a "report this" button - so you'll need to email the site (I think this may be the address you want: help@goodfon.ru ) and then show the photo you want taking down and a link to your own copyrighted image.

15/52 Run, Run, Run

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:18:52 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

Like most border collies, Barney lives to RUN. He'll go all day if you let him... I've walked him for 9 hrs before (him off lead most of the way) and he still wanted to play fetch when we got back. On holiday, Barney will run, swim and play for 2 or 3 hours in the morning, then another few hours in the afternoon, then an hour or so in the evening and happily keep going like that every day we're there. I have to make him take breaks and even with heaps of extra food, he inevitably returns home a walking skeleton.

Usually, Barney has to be content with less exercise, but still goes out every day (whatever the weather) and definitely makes the most of outings. He is usually disinterested in sniffing stuff, or interacting with other dogs; preferring to spend his time bounding along at top speed. Toys aren't needed as incentive, simply being off leash in a field, or wood is enough to get him galloping! Barney's pure joy as he runs free like this never fails to make me smile. This was taken on a new walk, so he was extra excited - lots of "4 off the floor" pics that day.

Apologies for the lack of commenting/activity this week... One my close relatives really isn't well, so we've been dealing with that and I went to visit them earlier in the week. Then my hamster Boris vanished. No idea how he escaped - cage doors were shut, no holes etc. I suspect he may have been taken out and lost by our lodger's friend, but can't prove it! Stayed up v. late a couple of nights, sitting in the dark listening for movements but I heard nothing.

Dad and I practically destroyed a sofa in our front room, thinking he might be there... Even Barney joined the search (he knows who "Boris" is - but he just kept indicating at hammie's cage and old bedding used in a make shift "trap"). Finally on Fri night, I left some food in another room, on the off chance he wasn't where I thought... It had gone on Sat morning - so I put the cage in there with the doors open, 20 mins later I found him sitting inside. Few! I'll catch up with everyone soon - although I'm afraid next week is looking busy too, especially as my relative is still struggling.
Reached Explore #455

14/52 Barney's Flowers

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:19:00 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

Ha, he'd much rather have a biscuit! Barney holding a bunch of daffodils I bought for Easter :) I had it in mind to get a shot of Barney doing his "hug" trick for a while and this morning had the idea he might be able to hug/hold some flowers. He normally just holds things by wrapping one paw around them but I thought we'd try getting him to hug the flower between both paws - and being a clever boy, Barney managed it! Haha, although those daffodils were looking a little worse for wear by the end of the training session - he kept dropping them, as he went to take his treat!

We did have a bit of difficulty getting him to balance whilst in a beg and supporting something - so in the end I backed Barney up against a wall, to give him something to lean on. Usually Barney is incredibly stable in a beg position, so I expect if we work on it a bit, he'll improve on "hugging" items with both paws. A pointless but kinda cute trick, I think :)

I'm hoping to start taking him to some training classes soon. We've never been to a trainer before... when I first got Barney, he was too nervous aggressive/reactive to work in a group with strangers and dogs. Then, just as I was starting to think maybe we could manage it, I got cancer and was out of action. However, I'm wanting to start doing stuff again and thought dog training classes might be a fun idea - and a chance to meet some new people and doggies too.

We'll probably just start off doing a really basic obedience course - which technically he should find ridiculously easy but being in a new environment with people/dogs I expect we'll have plenty to work on! Going to contact a lady (who uses reward based training) running what look to be really good courses locally, in the next day or two. They appear to have a regular intake of new people, so if all goes to plan, hopefully it might not be too long before we can start :)

*I started teaching the "hugging"/holding trick after seeing this wonderful video, a couple of years back.

Update: Classes booked!! Yay, we start in a month :)

The Chickens...

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:30:00 -0700

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Or "Mini-dinosaurs of Doom" as Barney-dog thinks of them! Despite Barn's loathing of the species, I am very fond of our pet hens... and slightly obsessed with photographing them :) I've found they actually make reasonably good little models. You can't pose them (or, maybe someone somewhere can but it is currently beyond my skill and theirs!) but as long as you throw a little bit of food down and keep chatting/clucking, our hens are quite cooperative! They're continuously, forever hungry and love nothing more than a conversation (if I cluck or make a little peeping noise, they eagerly answer back... yeah, it's probably a bit weird to talk to hens but hey ho!) so it's easy to keep their attention and snap some photos.

We have six hennies... they're all characters! My favourite is the one above - the more ruffled (and older) of our two little red hens. She no longer lays (or very rarely) and is pretty much bottom of the pile in the pecking order, but very, very tame. She's often first to run over when I call them for their dinner and will try and get into the kitchen if you open the back door. She quite happily lets me pick her up, most of the time! One of our last hens actually used to fall asleep on your lap if you let her and I think this little chicken may be similar, given time. She certainly doesn't mind me stroking her now and is usually under my feet wherever I go in the garden.

Then there's scruffy hen who always looks a bit bedraggled and who I thought was ~~underdog~~ underhen but now just believe is a bit lack-lustre on the preening front. White bird is a bully! Grey hen is very shy - she even refused to roost in her hen house at first, taking refuge on top of a shed instead... and the big black hen is extremely cheeky. Red hen #2 keeps in the background but is another one who lets me pick her up ;) I know chickens aren't seen as very interesting but once you get to know them they're quite entertaining characters. Anyway, here are some more pics below...All taken while they waited around with surprising eagerness for some very boring looking pellets. I may cook spaghetti for them tomorrow - chickens LOVE spaghetti - I it reminds them of worms!!!

13/52 Spring Snow Joy!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:47:00 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

Well, I didn't expect to get a shot like this in the last week of March! This time last year, the UK was in the middle of a heat wave, temperatures got to 20C and now this year, we've got snow... Lots of it! Madness. Actually, although we had quite a bit of snow over the weekend, it temporarily warmed up on Monday and mostly melted on lower ground near our house. However, after risking our necks slipping our way through town (the pavements were still covered in ice!), Barney and I found plenty of nice powdery snow up on the hills. Barney went wild :)

He had a fantastic time, almost all of my shots were similar to this: mad looking dog approaching at top speed! I learned early on to take photos very quickly, then jump out the way before there's a collision. A few yrs back, on another snowy hillside Barney knocked dad right off his feet and very nearly into an electric fence... Evil hound just skipped away, laughing his head off while my dad cursed Barney specifically and collies in general, and I tried very hard not to giggle (and took note to watch out for the dog)! Barney is better trained and less inclined to knock people over now but in snow, all bets are off... Collisions, nippings and bag snatches are all risks you take when out with a snow-crazed Barney!

I know there are lots of experienced dog owners on here, so I thought I'd ask some advice. When people meet Barn, they mostly assume he's barely older than a pup (he's skinny and bouncy!) but he's 6 1/2 now. He has an active life - lots of running, jumping, twisting etc - tending to hurl himself around a lot! Anyway, I've noticed recently that in the evenings after a long(ish) walk Barney is definitely looking a bit stiff. Nothing terrible and he's not limping but is definitely slower than normal getting up after rest. So, any suggestions for supplements/tips etc that might help with mild achiness?

12/52 Barney and the Mini-Dinosaur (of Doom)!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:01:00 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

Pst... Hooman? Hooman?
Yeah?
Shhh....
What is it?
Help. Me. You have to help me!
Why, what's the matter?
There's a... there's a... dinosaur under my chair! It's gonna eat me.
Barney. That is a chicken. NOT a dinosaur. Chickens don't eat dogs. Dogs eat them!
Whatever, hooman. "Chicken" comes out of a bag in crunchy biscuit form. This... this thing has a pecky beak and scaly feet and nasty claws!
*Squawk*
Hooman, hooman, it's calling its foul feathery dinosaur friends.... Please hooman don't leave me. Save me!
Wow, calm down, dog. Shoo, chicken!
*Squawk!!*
RUN!

You know in Jurassic Park where the humans are hiding from the velocirapters who want to eat them for tea? Well, Barney ~~thinks~~ knows we have a pack of mini-rapters living in our garden... and is continuously attempting evasive action. Chickens horrify him - and we live with 6 of them. On meeting our 1st flock, years ago, he wanted to chase but after one firm "leave it", Barney's been completely gentle with the birds - he just lives in terror that the chickens will now try and eat him!! The hens can sense this particular predator is no threat and do rather take the mickey.

They run at him, peck happily round his feet, refuse to move out his way - have no fear. I once caught that 1st flock stealing right out of Barn's bowl! I'd left the dogs eating dinner in the kitchen with the back door open - when I came back, several hens were pecking at kibble and poor puppy was sulking in a corner. I chased them off and gave Barn extra food for not biting their silly heads off - despite extreme provocation and my absence! The current lot aren't that brave/stupid but Barn is wary, keeping out of their way - looking for human protection when he can't. I usually act as "bodyguard" but couldn't resist getting a photo of the dog and his terrifying "dinosaur" ;)

Where The Wild Things Are (+8)

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:55:00 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

I think the wildest thing in this wood was Barney. He was crashing about like a maniac, I'm sure he cleared the wood for miles around of any furry or feathered beasts. Stealth is not Barney-dog's strong point - which is possibly why he has never caught anything (well, that and the fact he deliberately slows down on the rare occasions he comes close to catching a rabbit or squirrel)! Ah well, he enjoyed himself and tired himself out nicely :)

Taken in late autumn, on a very, very foggy walk up Midsummer Hill, at the southern end of the Malvern Hills. The Malvern Hills are really, for the most part very "tame". It makes me laugh every year, seeing summer tourists in heavy duty hiking gear - looking like they're about to venture forth into uncharted territory. There's a bench every few hundred meters, you are rarely more than a brisk 20 minute stomp to the nearest tea rooms and the paths are all exceptionally well maintained... It's more a large (pretty!) park than a rugged wilderness.

Midsummer Hill though does retain a bit of a wild feel to it. It is often deserted, with just the calls of pheasants and ravens to keep you company, as well as unidentified rustles in the undergrowth,the woods are thick and paths seem to disappear - this is the only hill I still get lost on. There are the clear signs of an Iron Age settlement and Bronze Age boundary ditches too, oh and it always seems to be cloaked in fog, which of course only adds to the magic! Barney loves it and so do I... and the marvellous thing is, that even though it seems excitingly far from civilisation you're still pretty close to a nice cup of tea and a good slice of cake ;)

11/52... And Relax

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:18:00 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

A special moment, my highly strung dog almost asleep - in the middle of the local park below the Malvern Hills :) I'd planned to walk just round it and take a few photos but the morning was so lovely, I ended up finding a quiet spot and sitting down on the grass for a while. At first Barn was confused about what I was doing and a bit nervy about people and dogs walking by and the noises we could hear from nearby town. However, after 15 mins or so, he just flopped... Even rolling over for a tummy rub at one point :)

He'd been cuddled up to me but was so comatose that he barely reacted when I shuffled far enough back to take some photos. He did briefly lift his head when the shutter first clicked but then just lay there, struggling to keep his eyes open :) It made me so happy to see him calm and content like this, soaking up the sunshine and occasionally twitching his nose to catch scents on the spring breeze coming down off the hills. After he'd snoozed for half an hour, I reluctantly had to get up - my trousers were soaked - that grass was nice and soft but it's only March and the ground was rather damp!

We continued on with our walk, a nice potter round the park - Barney had a little run around, mildly alarmed some rather fat ducks and podgy pigeons, then nearly hurled himself off a bridge! I thought he was just going to put his front paws up on the stone wall but Barn jumped instead and nearly tumbled right over the edge, into the pond some 6ft below! He was on a lead and harness, which I grabbed hold of just in time to yank him back! I think that woke him up ;-)

10/52 The Back-and-Forth Game

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 10:24:00 -0700

meg price posted a photo:

Barney's been on edge, ever since our recent move back to dad's house in Malvern... He's often a bit nervy but for the past few weeks, poor Barn has been a bit of a wreck - to the point where I've been keeping him on a long line some days (something I've not needed to do for nearly 3 years!). Thankfully, he finally seems to be relaxing this week! He's not so twitchy and seems much happier - more relaxed and playful. No doubt there will be bumps in the road but he seems to be settling nicely - I'm glad he's letting his guard down and enjoying himself :)

This was taken while he was happily playing our low-stress version of fetch (really just a "fun" send away and recall exercise). When Barney's noise phobias got bad a couple of yrs ago, we had to stop taking toys out (why you'll rarely see Barn with a toy - he plays obsessively at home but not on walks, which is where I take most my photos!). The trouble was, when we played fetch, he'd either refuse to chase the toy, or chase it, then lose confidence and drop it mid-way back, or else he'd play but react much worse to any "bangs" he heard. For Barney, happy excitement and nervous anxiety easily cross over!

I tried to keep playing fetch but he kept getting worse, both of us freaked out by his bolting, or trying to crawl under my skin (ow!!) - plus a lot of toys were lost! So, I took out the elements of "pressure": retrieval! For our back-and-forth game, he herds me until I shout "GO", swinging my hand out, as though to throw a toy. He'll run flat out a short way (as far as I'd chuck a ball) before haring back to do it all again. We do directed running too - he races back and forth, left and right, woofing in excitement, watching for hand signals to know where to go next. He loves his running games and they don't wind him up to the point where he can't cope with noises!

9/52 Watch Me!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:10:00 -0800

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A very handy command when you have a dog that can be a bit... grumpy with other dogs! Teaching Barney to respond reliably to a "watch me" command (I usually say "what's this?" - he responds by gluing himself to my leg, looking up and asking: "biscuit?"), has done wonders for his attitude and probably my blood pressure. Having a dog aggressive dog - or well, reactive, I suppose (he will usually wait for the other dog to give off a few "hey, I see ya - lets have a scrap!" signals before he starts swearing, making faces and lunging!) is embarrassing, annoying and stressful.

It meant forever scouting for medium/large male dogs approaching and then either hiding in a hedge, or driveway or else dodging traffic to cross the road. In the countryside this is just about workable but our yr spent in an urban setting meant either Barney and I were going to have a mental break down and probably get run over OR Barney was going to have to learn some control. Frankly, I didn't fancy getting hit by a car (I've spent enough time in hospitals to last a lifetime!) - just to avoid the 16 millionth in-your-face black labrador we encountered that week! So, we started training for a really consistent, solid "watch me".

For years Barn found the idea of eating and walking mind boggling, refusing to take food rewards while leashed and on the move. That proved our main hurdle - once convinced to take food from my hand while also on a lead and walking, Barney quickly learned to focus completely on me, ignoring passing canines. Now, he positively skips with glee when we see dogs - even hated in-your-face black labs and shouty shepherds. He'll prance along, on a loose lead, tail wagging, eyes on me, waiting for a reward. Not perfect (yet!) - just this evening we had a brief episode of growling - but the male lab who instigated it was particularly obnoxious! Still, it's nice when training pays off - and when you don't have to hide in hedges any more!

Boris ~ Happy Furry Friday :)

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:00:00 -0800

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Boris, my year old long-haired Syrian hamster, having a Friday night treat (it looks like crisp/chip but it's just a dried hamster treat!), and an adventure in his new house - I'd set him free on the stairs, to explore! I'd sort of moved back to my dad's in Malvern a couple of weeks ago but hadn't managed to collect most of my things - or bring Boris up here until yesterday. So nice to have my smallest pet back again... I know hamsters are often thought of as children's pets but I get very fond of my small furries, they're real little characters.

Boris (named after crazy-haired London mayor Boris Johnson!) is naturally more nervy and skittish than my last hamster, the extraordinarily laid-back Pippin... but with regular, gentle handling, Bori is now friendly and happy to be picked up, he's a sweet little thing. He even accepts being brushed a from time to time - I had to buy a toothbrush for him - it's hard to find a brush small enough for a hamster but the long haired ones do seem to need a bit of grooming or they get tangled!

I trained Barney-dog to completely ignore hamsters rolling in their balls, quite a feat for a ball-obsessed, mouse-hunter! However, from a hamster-owning point of view, it is quite nice being back in a cat-free house again. I can now let Boris roll around in his ball without being worried he'll be terrorised by scary felines. I can also allow him have a run around on the stairs safely, without having to run round shutting cats away. It's pretty good exercise for a hamster, climbing a staircase, Boris seemed to find it quite exciting, after he'd eaten his treat!!!

8/52 Happy 5th Gotcha Day, Mr Barney Dog!

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 07:55:00 -0800

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Half a decade, wow!! 5 years ago today I first met Barney... and I had no idea then of what an impact this anxious, highly strung dog would have on my life - in fact, I wasn't even sure if my dad and step-mum would agree to keeping him permanently... We were supposed to be a temporary stop-gap to ensure he wasn't put down. I was away half the year for the first 3 yrs we had him, busy at university and I seriously lacked in practical experience in training border collies/difficult/fearful dogs; on paper, adopting him was stupid but I am so, so glad that's what happened!

Over the years, Barney's had me in tears of despair (after luring him out from under bushes for the umpteenth time where he'd hidden from bangs!), embarrassed beyond belief (like the day he decided a guy getting out of a wetsuit on the beach was a 4-armed alien and MUST be exposed with a great deal of shrieking and circling!). He's nipped and given me bruises, knocked me over, ruined my bags and coats by nipping and tearing them... He's also been my muse, a joy to train, a wonderful teacher on dogs and patience and compromise, kept me laughing, made me proud by learning to trust and be brave, and of course been the best of companions - esp during my cancer treatment and recovery. I can't imagine life without my Barney-dog :)

I had something else in mind for this week's shot... a photo of him out where I first got to know him, 5 years ago. However, Barney's going through a bad blip with his fears. More nervy with strangers than usual, more clingy with me and his noise sensitivity is through the roof. He'll calm down in a couple of weeks, Barney struggles with change - our recent move has unsettled him - even though we've come back to a familiar place. I abandoned photography while we were out; he was too anxious - so after calming him down, we went home and I took some photos where he was happy, playing with his beloved yellow ball, out in the back garden :)

Oh, this was "shot from the hip" (or thereabouts - I didn't look through the viewfinder anyway!) - for the 52 Weeks group challenge.. there were a LOT of out-takes but we had fun!

Two. (+ 9 in comments)

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 13:13:00 -0800

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Right, time for more archive photos! Aww, I miss having two dogs around the house. If I was in a (lot, lot, LOT) more of a stable position with regards to health, jobs, living arrangements etc I'd be looking to adopt another dog... but sadly that isn't at all feasible at the moment. Haha, I say that - I've probably just jinxed myself! Most of my pets growing up have been acquired through unexpected means. For example, as a toddler the cats I'd grow up with, turned up as tiny kittens on the doorstep with the morning delivery of milk! They just walked in when my mum opened the door and never left! My rabbit was also an unexpected addition - her original young owner got bored and the granddad said he'd "put the rabbit in the pot and make stew!"... Yes, he meant it!

Oh and of course there's Barney. My dad had actually been offered Barney a few months before we finally got him... I remember he phoned me at university, saying he'd been offered a young sheepdog the other day. As I'd been obsessed with BCs for years, this made me squeal quite a bit but my dad snorted and said he had absolutely NO intention of taking on a mad, out of control male collie who had a reputation of attacking people. We only took Barn on months later when he was literally on the way to the vets to be put down. It was have him, or condemn him to death! Given my track record, it wouldn't surprise me if I do acquire another waif in the next few years, whatever my feelings about it being an "appropriate" time - pets just seem to come to me, ah well, it's worked out OK so far ;-)

Anyways, here's some photos of the dastardly duo - Barney and Dilly, from last year. They still meet up reasonably often and while Barney seems to enjoy Dilly's company more than she does his, they do both have fun running about together on walks, like old times :) (For those that don't know - Dilly, the little cavalier, is my step-mum's dog, she lived with Barney for nearly 4 yrs but sadly my dad and step-mum split up in Aug/Sep 2011 and so the dogs were split up too...)

7/52 Waiting...

nobody@flickr.com (meg price) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:59:00 -0800

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... For his oh-so-hideously-slow human companion to catch up! After running on ahead for a while, Barney always retraces his steps to check I'm following - watching my progress from a little way ahead. He can't understand why we don't want to run when we're outside, why we aren't careering up and down the hillsides and climbing rocks and chasing imaginary squirrels. I can't understand why he's in such a hurry half the time - he doesn't really hunt (if he spots a small furry he'll chase but deliberately slows down when getting close!), doesn't sniff at much, isn't interested in finding other dogs - I guess he just loves to run!

A bit antisocial really, but he does intersperse solo adventures with bouts of play, or posing, so I don't feel too left out ;-) Still, lots of the time, he's a speck in the distance. As long as I can see him (or know where's he's headed - if there's water nearby he'll be going that way!) and it's safe, I let him roam. He doesn't cause trouble, checks in with me often and when I call, he returns at a gallop, so I feel OK letting him go have fun! One thing I love about Malvern is that there are many places where it's safe for a dog to be free - no roads, no livestock, no dogs-on-lead rules, the only thing we have to watch for are mad cyclists racing down narrow paths but Barney's quite good at veering out the way...

So, I'm nosy and like hearing how other owners live with their dogs...Do you let your dog(s) off lead regularly - are there areas near you where it is safe/legal to do so? Are they trustworthy in unfenced areas - or would they take off to seek their fortune elsewhere, the second you unclipped the leash? If you do let them go free, are you happy for them to race on ahead, or do you like them to stick quite close? How do you call them back? Whistling, or verbally, or something else?

Hope everyone is having a good week! Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day :)
Reached Explore #135