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#PupOfTheMonth January Voting

#PupOfTheMonth January. Well we couldnt get it down to 20 from the 300+ entries bute here we have the 27 picked by the team. Click like on a picture to vote for that pup as #PupOfTheMonth. Voting will close on 9th Feb and winner will be announced on the 10th. The winner will receive dinner for two with their pup ... at the end of the year the monthly winners will compete for the grandprize. An overnight stay in a Deluxe Sea View Room with dinner bed & breakfast for them and their pup. If you have not made it into this album feel free to enter under the February album. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2176737142386274&type=1&l=0cb356dffd

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Introducing #PupOfTheMonth .... Send us in your pup’s photos and stories, or tag them with our name on social media, and we will put them on our #PupOfTheMonth notice board (physical and online). Once a month we will have a vote for the best and the winner will receive dinner for two with their pup ... at the end of the year the monthly winners will compete for the grandprize. An overnight stay in a Deluxe Sea View Room with dinner bed & breakfast for them and their pup. The postcard has a few entries from the last time we ran a photo competition. (at The Salty Dog) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtEMyzRBN-C/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1g2z2t03num1u

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Bailey

Ah, that’s better. This is a lovely, cosy place to set my exhausted paws down and warm my cold, wet nose. It’s really quite nippy out there today actually, and sometimes the wind blows such a gale down here, along the Bangor coastline, it would go right through you, as I often hear people say. I’ve only a short coat – I’m a cross between a golden Labrador and a red setter, you see – but I didn’t inherit the long hairs of my setter lineage so sometimes I get a bit chilly; that’s if I’m not galloping at break neck speed, as I love to do.

 I’d been let loose on one of my ten favourite walks, which you can read all about on my #DailyBailey blog and now I’m all run out and happy to curl up at my mum’s feet and doing a spot of people watching. I heard her say ‘let’s call into the Salty Dog for a wee coffee ‘cause Bailey will be more than welcome there’, so now I’m chilling with a fresh bowl of water to quench my pretty chops wondering why the dog she mentioned would be salty.

I’ve just munched my way through a tasty morsel too – those Twisted Fish treats my mum makes take the hunger pangs away rightly, and they’re delicious. All the dogs I know are so jealous that I live with the lovely lady who makes them.

 From my spot here on the floor of the cosy coffee area of the Salty Dog, it seems I’m top dog here at the moment. The fiesty little thing to my left is so small it could fit in my handbag and the long-haired old geezer across the way looks like he ran his last field years ago. But still, he looks very content too, resting at the feet of his master, a rather handsome bloke who’s enjoying a latte with a pretty lady: I wonder if they’re on a date.

It’s really busy in here. Some people are working on their computers, drinking green tea and chattering away on their phones; others are stuffing their faces with yummy elevenses and some are even enjoying a pint or a glass of wine. Em, isn’t it a bit early for that? Ah, they’re probably staying at the hotel here and in that case they’re on holiday and I hear you can have a tipple at any time of the day when you’re on holiday, so I’ll just let them be and enjoy it. 

It’s fun watching people eat, drink and be merry but it seems to be lulling me….yawn… to sleep. I think I feel a dream coming on, of frolicking in the salty sea, just lapping up on the doorstep outside….

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Whisper - Centenarian dog still at work!

They say you can’t teach an old dog a new trick but just like that old man, 89-year-old Joe Bartley from Devon, who got a job in a coffee shop, I’m still earning my keep and I’m over 100! 

Okay, I am only 17 in human years but in doggy years I’m 119 but still every day, you’ll find me as main meeter and greeter at my master’s work, Yellowdog Grooming in Bangor – it’s a bit of a PR job really. And with a canine coiffeur specialist at my disposal every day I’m still as glossy and golden as ever – there’s hardly a fleck of noticeable grey in my coat. 

Despite my vintage I can still sprint with the best of them and get out every day for a good run round the Balloo Wetlands in Bangor and that’s two miles. Age won’t hold me back and though I am starting to feeI it a bit, deep down in my bones – I’ve got a special orthopaedic bed to sleep the like a queen at night – I make an effort to keep up with the young pups these days.

My master Ryan loves to make a fuss of me and he’s been doing it for as long as I can remember. He rescued me from Benvardin animal rescue kennels when he was just a teenager when he used to come up regularly from Bangor to volunteer at the centre and when he saw me, at around one-year-old, he was smitten. 

His mum didn’t want to let him keep me back then, ‘cause his family already had other dogs, but he kept pestering – and finally his persistence paid off. Since then we’ve been inseparable and as I said he takes me to work every day, lets me run as free as a bird along vast stretches of beach and never forgets a birthday.

This year he took me for an extra special day out for my 17th birthday back in November and last year – wait till you hear – he even brought me to a hotel for the night, where they made a total fuss of me and let me sleep (tucked up in my special old-lady bed) in Ryan’s room. That was at the Salty Dog which has won an award for being so nice to visiting dogs of all creeds and kinds – anything but feline.

I suppose he’s extra caring because I’ve been through a lot in the recent years and though I’m fit as a fiddle now I did have to get my spleen removed because of that awful cancer and I even rallied after a mild stroke in the summer. Apparently, I’ve no deficiencies as a result, or so I hear Ryan proudly tell people when they ask how I’m doing. Anyway, I’m lucky to have him, after all these years and by the way he cares for me everyday I think he feels lucky I’m his best, most loyal friend.

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Jiggs and Jack- our dad’s that Frank Mitchell fella off the telly

Jiggs  (right) and Jack (left)

Do you like foxes? The jury’s out about them in my house. I know people say they’re lovely looking animals but if they skulked into your garden and stole your food tray you might think differently. That’s what they do at our house so forgive me if I’m not their biggest fan. 

Perhaps I should be a bit more pro-fox, considering me – I’m Jiggs – and my best friend Jack are both fox terriers, and apparently if we weren’t so fluffy round the chops we’d look just like real foxes. 

We live on the outskirts of Belfast where the foxes are brazen enough to encroach on man and their best friends – us dogs – and also close enough to my favourite park, Lady Dixon’s. Oh, I love a good run round that lovely big park, with Jack by my side. Of course I lead the herd – okay, so there are only two of us – but I’m always out in front. 

Jack’s a good wee bloke but I’m top dog in our household. He may have the advantage of being twice my age, but I’m bigger and stronger so that makes me chief canine in the Mitchell house. It wasn’t always like that. When I first arrived as a tiny pup (on Jack’s turf as he was there before me) I was so timid mum had to nurse me like a baby. But it wasn’t long before I grew taller than Jack so now I like to call the shots, though I try not to lord it over him too much – he’s still my best bud.

 After all, I do allow him to dine on my leftovers. Some people might say I’m a bit cheeky holding the food dish with my paw, while I gobble up the first sitting at dinner time, leaving the remnants for him – with a smirk on my face. I’ve heard master Mitchell tell his friends about our little ritual and they all fall about laughing but don’t worry about Jack though as our folks make sure he’s well looked after too.

 Some people think terriers can be a bit techy but me and Jack, we’re really passive and we’re really good company and we’re exceptionally mannerly. We don’t have the run of the house and only really venture into the kitchen but we never beg – well not with Frank as he’d have none of it. His missus, though, she’s a bit more of a pushover and we’ll chance our arms, with our begging paws at the ready, when she’s at her dinner and sometimes we’ll get a wee tidbit for a treat. 

Right, we’re off now for a run round the park. 

Take care. Be good. Bye bye. 

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Jock, once a sheep herder…

So where did my ball go? I’ll tell you where: there I was, minding my own business, running round the Giant’s Ring and some cheeky canine sneaks up and pinches it. Some bold boxer crept up and nicked it right from under my master’s nose!

So now my master Paddy has to walk around with this throw stick with nothing to throw. What am I supposed to do now? It’s a bit boring without a ball. I know the view is very pretty down here but… oh, there’s a stick!

That’s better. You see I like to have something to do because I started out life being rather busy. I used to herd. Sheep that is – because I’m a Welsh sheep dog. Before I came to my master’s house I used to herd sheep. And I was really good at it. I’d hunker down, half hidden in the grass and do some creeping of my own, but at least I was being helpful to my farmer.

I’d round up the sheep, on the farmer’s orders – we had a special language you know – and he’d flap his arms about, a bit like one of those policemen on a street corner who directs traffic, and I’d move this way and that until the sheep followed me. They’re good at that – following each other I mean.

Once we go back to the car and back home I’ll get my paws on another ball – we’ve loads around the house, lovely half-chewed and drool-covered and yummy. Once we’re home I’ll have a wee chew, a bigger slurp of water and a big bowl of grub before a snooze.

My bowl of grub has got a bit smaller these days after the vet said I was a bit chubby so now I think I’m what I hear people call a diet.

Well, we’re home now after a good run under a nice cold but sunny winter’s day so I’m off to find whatever’s in my bowl. Chow.

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Roxy- the salty sea pup

My name is Roxy and I have little freckles on my white paws, a black saddle on my back with very soft ginger ears. I love it when people stroke my ears - I wag my tail with excitement! But I tend to get excited easily, as I’m only a little pup. 

I had a first boat trip recently when my new family took me home on the Strangford ferry.  

It was my first time in a car too, I wasn’t too sure about it at first. However, I am a very nosy little female beagle, so I realised that looking out the back window of the Mini was a great way to pass the time on a car journey.  

I much preferred the ferry anyway; it felt great to let the wind flap my ears around in the sea air! I’ve had to get used to the salty way of life very quickly as my mummy and daddy are very boat-orientated. I was introduced to the boats down at Bangor Marina. That’s where I figured out how to swim there… by accident! I missed a footing on the pontoon and landed with a splash! I love being a salty sea pup, I sit on the deck and watch all the boats float by - I especially love watching the birdies! 

Sometimes we go on trips but I found that the engines make me sleepy so I curl up on my crew seat and snooze till we are nearly there. I like to watch to make sure the fenders get put out and that we get tied up correctly: safety first! When I see the fenders, I know it's time for exploring!! 

When we get docked, I get the chance to make lots of other doggie friends like Jarvis, the cockatoo and Xo, the springer. They’re great fun to play with, we run up and down the pontoon. Sometimes when I'm playing, I forget to come back to my mummy and daddy but then I remember, they might have ham and I LOVE HAM so I’ll always go back and check. 

I love soft toys, well actually, I like to pull all the stuffing out of soft toys. I got a bit carried away and thought my bed was a toy… Mummy wasn’t very impressed with me, there wasn’t any ham that day. But I prefer sleeping on fluffy fleecy blankets anyway…  

My favourite place to snuggle up is on the sofa - I love to sit on knees, even though I am a little bit bigger, I still fit on if I snuggle my bum in. It’s so cosy, I tend to nod off, sometimes I even snore a little… But that is probably because I sleep on my back with my paws over my eyes! 

I can’t wait to visit the Salty Dog again soon, I might be lucky to be brought there on my birthday when I turn 1 on Thursday 25th May!! I might even be lucky enough to taste some woof woof beer when I get older …. I have heard from Ox that Bottom Sniffer is great blend! 

Roxy x 

��ir

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Anna- a great big dane who likes to be nice

I’m often the star of the show wherever I go but it’s something I’ve had fun getting used to. I think it’s because I’m so big – I’m as tall as my dad Ian when I stand on my hind legs and he’s an adult human. Or maybe people just like things that are black and white. Don’t mistake me for a dalmation though; I’m a Harlequin Great Dane and I often hear my mum Arlene saying black ‘goes with everything’.

I’ve even won prizes for simply being me and recently got a big ribbon for being Best in Show at the Armagh Agricultural Show. Apparently I’m one of approximately 100 Harlequin Great Danes in the whole of Ireland and we’re so rare and so big that I know many of the other Harlequins in this part of the world.There are even walking groups for people with canines, so it’s a lot of fun getting to play with dogs my size that I’m not scared of hurting if we get a bit frisky down at the beach. 

At home I have to be a bit careful not to squash my little furry friends Tiggy the terrier, and Kayko, my Akita inu friend. She’s a little bit exotic, being from Japan, though she’s not as tiny as Tiggy so I don’t have to worry so much about stepping on him. My best friend at home though is my little brother Elliott. He’s really cute but he’s tiny too because he’s only ten months old and only has two legs, while I’ve got four and I’m nearly four years old. He’s so cute that I sometimes let him enjoy all the attention when the family are all out together.

Elliott likes to make a lot of noise but I love him: I like all kids really. My dad says I’m “bullet proof” with children. I’m not really sure what that means but I know people let their kids come up and stroke my back when dad tells this to passersby. When we were out in Newcastle recently there were about 20 kids all trying to get my attention but I wasn’t complaining, ‘cause I’m also a ‘big softie’ according to dad. It’s nice to be nice and be liked in return.