|
Harry | Penguins and Goldfish | Hutton Brentwood | Pc/Playstation | Comfychair Creations | Daz dogs | Links/Guest Book |
| Poems | Moon and stars | Concorde | Walking/Climbing | Coins | TOGs | Pictures |
About Harry our Border Terrier.
His proper name is Mazengarb Seaweed. He was born Oct '96 near Southminster, Essex, Uk. He is brindle coloured and full of fun
Are you looking for pictures of Harry? Check out the Pictures and Video below
 |
He's a bit of a flirt and likes the lady dogs but he doesn't like big male dogs and will tell them off if they bother him too much. He is fairly quiet except when Emmerdale comes on the telly and he starts to howl. |
Click on
this icon for a .wav file of Harry singing very sweetly to the
Emmerdale theme tune:
howl.wav (348kb)
Harry also howls at the birds. We let him out first thing in the morning and he sits under the tree at the bottom of the garden and howls at the birds twittering in the branches above. He gets quite excited when the collared doves come and sit on the fence.
He is a bit sensitive to some sounds. He used to howl at the sound of the cutlery as it gets put away in the drawer. He also has howled to the music on the last night of the proms and he likes to sing along to violin music. Perhaps his hearing is starting to go as he doesn't react so often now.
Last thing at night he can't wait for the door to open to bark at any intruders lurking in the garden. He sometimes starts other dogs in the neighbourhood barking.
Some owners strip their dogs fur, we do pull out some loose fur after the winter and give him a good brush to make him comfortabl for the summer - he doesn't like the heat.. There seems to be quite an argument on the newsgroups about whether to strip or not. We always watch Crufts on TV and always hope that a BT will reach the finals but we are usually disappointed. Harry isn't a show dog, I don't think he would behave long enough!
We found a poem in Verité Reily Collins' book "About the Border Terrier":
To a Border Terrier:
Hill-men bred you; your sire and your grandsire
Followed their striding by rig and dale.
In wild Border weather, through spate and through heather.
You learnt to go fearless and never failYour eye is as keen as the gled's on the moorland;
You have sharpened your wits by the red hill tod's;
Come otter, come badger, you'll tackle them gaily,
And fight to the death against any odds.Auld-Farrant you are, and canny and kindly;
who'd guess, as you dream in the firelight's glow,
At the demon that wakes when hound check and muster,
And a fox is to earth, and the Master says "Go!"Raider? Aye, maybe - true son of the Border!
But leal as the reivers, stout hearted and true.
When there's Boasting and Toasting, my glass will go highest
To a game little Border - good hunting to you!
Anon
I don't think our Harry is one for hunting. He tries to chase rabbits and squirrels but if he finds a rabbithole he is not interested although he did put his head down one the other day. As for fights he will stand his ground against anything but if the truth be known he would rather walk away. He doesn't like other male dogs, all that testosterone I suppose. He's also had a go at Boxers and even a Doberman (Luckily this one, called Rosco, who was wearing a muzzle is generally good natured and didn't turn a hair when Harry snapped at him!) Harry avoids Yorkies especially in pairs.
He likes throwing a stuffed sock around especially when he comes in from his walk. He also throws plastic plant pots around and chews them up. When Gill is in the kitchen, he brings a ball and she has to play football while preparing meals or doing the ironing. When he is tired he sits on the back of the settee and looks out of the window, watching for dogs and cats in the street. When we sit on the settee and he joins us he tends to lean his back against us. He makes us laugh when he seems to fall asleep and topples over. We used to put a blanket on the settee, but gave up trying to get him to sleep on it. He could be found anywhere next morning but he's very good he doesn't go on our bed. Although he does sneak onto the bed in the spare room. He looks so sheepish when we go in there next morning.
Faults - He hasn't got any! However he does make the most appalling smells for a little dog. It's not as though we feed him rich food. He does get treats from time to time - he deserves them though! We only have to say "cheese" and he's there with an appealing look in his eye.
Health - Poor Harry has a heart murmur. The breeder did tell us when we got him so we knew there was a risk of problems. The vet has had a listen but does not recommend any treatment at present. It doesn't seem to affect him as long as he doesn't overdo it. He sometimes goes tearing round the field chasing other dogs in play or even just for the fun of it, but if it is too much he will suddenly lie down panting. When he's got his breath back he seems ok again. It seems to be affecting him more now he's older but he isn't so active now anyway. More worryingly in Sept/Oct 2001 he started having what can only be described as fits. He's had four or five now. The vet had put him on half a tablet of pheno-barbitone every 12 hours. We don't know if it had any effect as he had one fit while he was on them. In April 2003 the vet suggested he come off the tablets. He has had a couple of turns since then. He seems to be aware of whats going on when he has them he tenses up and trembles. He also drools a little. When it eases off he seems very tender. They usually last three or four minutes and he takes about an hour to get over it. We don't think that it is epilepsy. I have come across a website which described a sort of seizure which affects Border Terriers called Spikes Disease and seems to be diet related. I have a theory that Harry eats grass to aid his digestion and when he can't get nice, green grass it affects him.
In August 2002 - We had just returned from holiday in North Devon and to our horror he picked up some ticks. Click here for more details about The Big One!
Harry prefers walking on paths rather than grass verges so it might be better for his paws. He looks so dainty when he walks on the stepping stones in the garden to avoid walking on the grass. He sometimes gets sore paws. I think it was long grass cutting between his toes and made it very sore. He does like his walks in the country and likes to sniff everything in sight.
Now he is older he prefers his comforts and has refused to go out for his evening walk. I think it is because of the fireworks on and around Guy Fawkes night. He associates dark nights with loud bangs and he doesn't like it. He has looked up in the night sky and seen the lights of aeroplanes this has spooked him and he wants to go home. He hasn't really got used to the concept of 'Up' especially where squirrels are concerned. He doesn't like the sound of shotguns. For a dog which is supposed to be a country animal he is very much a domestic one.
Now we've got a scanner
and digital camera I've added some photos:
Click for Gallery
1
Click for Gallery 2
Click for Gallery 3
Click for Gallery 4
