Beardies' World

THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called The Rainbow Bridge because of its many colours. Just this side of the bridge there is a land of meadows, hills and valleys with lush green grass.

When a beloved pet dies it goes to this place. There is always food and water and warm spring weather. The old and frail animals are made young again, those who are maimed are made whole again. They play all day with each other. There is only one thing missing – their special guardians who loved them on Earth.

Each day they run and play until finally the day comes when one pet suddenly stops playing and looks up. The nose twitches. The ears come up and it suddenly breaks away from the group. You have been seen and when you and your beloved friend meet, you take them into your arms and embrace. Your face is kissed again and again and again and you look once more into the eyes of your pet.

Then you cross the bridge together, never again to be apart.

JUNE 1986 – THE BEGINNING

What was happening to me? I felt myself being pushed along in a steady rhythm, unsure whether I liked this feeling. I was moist and warm and suddenly I was ejected from my comfort zone and found myself lying among other bodies making lots of high pitched squeaking. Strange smells all around me, I had a rough tongue rapidly pushing my body about, licking and licking me clean and dry. I too emitted the same squeaking; it was bedlam, my eyes were tight shut and I had to feel my way around knocking into other little warm bodies, seven of them. The big body with the rough tongue was moving about sorting us out. I then heard a new noise, which I found out later was a human telling the big body (Mother) to lie down. A large hand picked us up one by one and we were put against our Mother’s teats, snuggling amongst the long hair trying to latch on for our first feed.

Several weeks have passed and we were plump and very furry, two were brown and the rest of us were slate. Our eyes were now open and we were now able to walk. Whenever our Mother settled down amongst us it was a mad fight to find the best teat to suck the most delicious milk and my larger siblings could actually latch on when our milk bar was standing.

We all enjoyed finding the brightest parts in our outside pen basking in the sunlight, although sometimes, looking up, there were blobs of white moving across the blue sky. Usually we huddled together during our sleep time to keep warm. During this time we were visited by large faces staring down at us and smaller faces with tender smiles, laughing at our antics as we played together. Each face gave out a different sound as their mouths moved. One larger face came often and I started to recognise the sound and looked forward to her coming and giving me extra cuddles, burying her face in my fur. I think she is going to call me Kizzy.

At seven weeks old I was the first to leave my birth Mother when the same lady came and carried me away. I felt a pang of regret leaving my brothers and sisters – we had had such fun together – now I was on my own for the first time. Everything smelt so different, although I recognised that distinctive smell of my new Mother. It was the first time I had travelled in a moving noisy box which had round wheels, not paws like mine, and I was held close by someone I now know was Nanny, to make me feel safe. I licked her hands in gratitude and Mum smiled down at me. After what seemed like a long journey I was carried into a building which was to be my new home and then straight out into the garden. Trembling, I hid behind the flower pots and refused to go into the big house as I was a bit frightened. A large man came out to see me; I knew it was a man as he smelt totally different to Mum. He picked me up and in a deep booming voice said, So this is Kizzy! What a beautiful Bearded Collie puppy. He was to be my Dad. I was shown my new sleeping accommodation in the conservatory and immediately crawled into a comfy box under a bench which was nice and dark. Meanwhile, I found it rather strange as I watched Mum placing rustling white stuff with black patterns down on the concrete. During the night I used these to pee on, but was worried that Dad might be cross because I had seen him sitting quietly examining each sheet. Well, he would not be able to read them now. The next morning I was praised for not crying for my siblings.

For the first week in my new home I was driven to Nanny’s. This involved sitting in my bean bag at the back of Mum’s car for a ten minute ride whilst Mum worked in the mornings to earn money to feed me. I decided I liked this new life with all the cuddles and attention. As I was so good at Nanny’s it was decided that I could stay at home with the garden to play in, but being young I spent most of my time sleeping while Mum was absent.

As soon as my injections were completed, I was allowed out into the New World to face the hustle and bustle which I found very exciting. New smells, monster cars flashing by, and meeting other dogs who were also wearing collars attached to leads walking along with their owners. Mum had great delight in telling her friends I wasn’t pulling on my lead because we had practised in the garden.

My next new frightening experience was Training School. The hall echoed with young barking puppies scrabbling their paws along the wooden floor in their enthusiasm to say hello to all their new friends. I was allowed to join in for a while before the teacher clapped her hands to begin our education to obey commands and learn how to behave. I was so good it wasn’t long before we moved into the Big Dogs’ Class.

Time rolled by so happily. I eventually learned that I had to keep still when lifted onto an old kitchen table whilst Mum groomed me. She cleaned my ears and teeth once a week. I was a terrible fidget and tried Mum’s patience many times by jumping down with Mum in hot pursuit chasing me around the garden. Autumn arrived and it was great fun chasing falling leaves and experiencing for the first time the damp odour as we walked through the woods. Snow fell and I loved rolling in it, although I hated it when it turned into ice balls between my toes and I had difficulty walking. At night I snuggled lower in my bean bag as it got colder. One evening, while lying cosily on the lounge carpet, television broadcasts kept mentioning about not leaving animals out in the extreme cold, so I was surprised when I was left in the kitchen at night. That was real luxury for me!

However, the weather soon warmed up again, although I did keep hearing, When is summer coming?

I found it quite hot some days and dug a nice big hole under a bush in the garden to lie and keep cool in. Mum muttered something about her not minding as long as this was the only one.

One work day morning when instead of being told, Be a good girl, Mummy won’t be long, my Mum took me to her office. I soon got used to the noisy typewriter as I slept under her desk and loved the extra fuss I received from Mum’s work colleagues. In the lunch hour I was allowed to dash about in different woods and fields and even managed to catch a young squirrel under my paw and was a bit miffed when Mum made me let it go. This lovely new socialising experience only lasted two weeks as Mum was covering for someone who had gone on holiday.

A month or so later, a visit to North Wales was mentioned and all of us going on holiday there. Mum had a friend who had set up a bed and breakfast and they were allowed to take me. What Mum said next had me sitting bolt upright. Was I hearing correctly? When we get back we would be having a new puppy! At last, I had got my way, because every time I was exercised in large park areas, I always rushed up to play with any dog that was about. Of course I soon tired them out, and I came back to Mum always telling her that I really needed a playmate of my own.

We left for Wales and I had the longest car ride ever. We kept stopping for comfort breaks for me and of course them. Mum was pleased with me and kept telling Dad how laid back I was. Whatever that means.

At our B & B I slept in Mum and Dad’s bedroom. Of course I was on my best behaviour; the owners had a farm dog called Fred, not a pedigree like me, he was half German Shepherd half Samoyed, and slept outside in a wooden kennel. I suppose he was used to it. He was such good fun and we shared my first experience of sand and sea, including chasing seagulls. I ate crab legs which was nice and salty but my stomach didn’t care for it! My week’s holiday was so exciting; car rides, mountain walks, waterfalls and streams, and don’t I love water. I must have been the cleanest dog in Wales that week.

Home again and after a good night’s sleep I woke up to find Mum bustling about making up my old box with new bedding and being told I was going to have a playmate called Emma. Later I sat up in amazement when this tiny fawn and white furry creature gambolled through the conservatory and out into MY garden. I was told she was a baby Beardie and that I was to be kind to her.

Well, I did as I was told, as I am grown up now and have to set a good example at thirteen months old. I allowed her to sleep in my bean bag (I found her box rather small as my tail had to hang out), eat from my bowl as well as her own, and take toys from my mouth. She was reprimanded though when hanging onto my collar for grim death. When she pulls out mouthfuls of my fur, I thump her with my paw, but then I feel sorry as I don’t mean to hurt her and run guiltily to my Mum for sympathy.

Walks now include the three of us, with Emma inside a shoulder bag zipped up with just her head out so she gets used to traffic whizzing by and is safe. When we get back I am not happy having my face and paws washed in disinfectant, though I am told it will not last forever – until Emma has had her vaccinations.

When Emma is asleep, Mum plays with me, but I often lie down thoughtfully wondering how next year will pan out as Emma grows up and we do more and more things together. We shall have to wait and see.

KIZZY

1988 – LIFE WITH EMMA

I have decided to keep a diary so that in my veteran years with the help of Mum I can look back on all the adventures and trials and tribulations that Emma and me, Kizzy, have experienced together, and whoever reads this will enter into our Canine World.

Some eighteen months have now passed and a lot has happened since my little fawn sister joined our family. Emma is still quite a handful and Mum said she is a typical Beardie, so what does that make me? I am really proud to write our journal, this is the difference between Emma and me. Emma couldn’t write a journal; she can’t keep still for more than five minutes, although, upon reflection, she is quite vocal!

To continue… Just before she was allowed down on the ground, we were out on one of our lovely walks. I was rushing on ahead across the fields and Mum was staggering along with Emma as she was now quite heavy, when to my great surprise my little playmate shot passed me. Oh great joy! Emma had wriggled out of Mum’s shoulder bag. With the wind blowing through our coats, we flew happily across the first field like a couple of tornadoes. I did hear hysterical screaming which quickly faded, and all we could hear was each other panting as we reached the third field. I turned and remembered Mum, I could see an outline of her way up on the hill; no way! She was running away from us, not chasing us, so I led the way this time and hi-tailed it back with Emma in hot pursuit. Mum was really pleased to see us, Emma was whisked up and popped back into the shoulder bag and I was given a titbit for being such a good girl! This was a taste of things to come.

At the beginning of 1988, Mum decided that our sleeping accommodation needed to be more comfortable and luxurious, to be in keeping with Beardies like us. She persuaded Dad to have our house all knocked down. At the time we were not at all happy our home had gone and we had to sleep indoors, but when we saw our new surroundings, well we felt like a couple of toffs. Double glazed roof, windows and door. Tiled floor – not concrete – and a radiator for the really cold weather. We shared it with a few plants and our two tortoises who rarely speak to us – not at all in the winter as they are tucked up in a big box of straw. In the summer they are just a couple of meat pies on legs but not at all tasty. Anyway, our conservatory home is brilliant, even if we did hear Dad grumble to Mum that, Those two dogs are costing more than I expected.

Summer was very memorable. Emma helped me dig an even larger hole under my favourite bush, and even helped Mum dig holes for the bedding plants. I taught her how to drink out of the bird bath, but, being the madcap she is (she goes overboard in everything she does), she managed to knock the water bowl off and break the stone base. We also turned the garden, which is Mum’s favourite hobby (second to us of course), into a race track; there was no lawn left to mow and the mature azaleas were just stumps sticking out of the ground which made good chewing sticks for us. The neighbours shook their heads in disbelief when looking over the fence and said that the garden couldn’t be entered into the local competition for ‘Prettiest Garden’ anymore.

AFTER PLAYING CHASE IN THE GARDEN

A great heated discussion ensued between Mum and Dad about how one Beardie was fine, but two were a disaster. At this point we got really worried and kept trying to climb on their laps telling them that we wouldn’t put so much effort in trying to race one another and maybe the grass would start to grow again and of course they could buy some new plants, couldn’t they?

We were even more worried when we spent a couple of confusing weeks being kept out of the