Fun at Gunma Dog Run

To hire a car or not to hire a car? That was the question we threw back and forth right up until last night. Japan is in the midst of the rainy season at the moment so its a matter of taking a chance and just getting out. Lucky us - today we had a sunny partly cloudy day with temps up to 33 degrees! We set off early to Gunma prefecture, a place we haven't been before, to a "communication park for dogs and people". It was on the way that I realised I'd forgotten Jazz and Dixie's harnesses and leads, so our first stop when we arrived was the pet shop to get new ones. Choices weren't great but we fitted J and D out with new harnesses and headed into the park where visitors are allowed anywhere on leash. There were also two dog runs and agility course for off leash fun. We headed for the big dog run complete with doggy pool. We tried to encourage our water fearing beagles into the water but neither one was going in! So we took shelter under a tree and watched as the girls ran around having fun. I even managed to get them to run a few lengths of the time trial carrals with the aid of snacks of course! By now it was really heating up so we took the be-gals poolside again. This time to our greatest surprise Jazz started down the gentle slope into the cool water and waded out to chest height. We just watched in amazement!! She must have been quite hot! It was then that I realised that I needed to get some evidence of this most unusual event. Dixie on the other was not so keen and when Shin put her in the pool she just scrabbled up the wall desparate to get out. This cool down gave both girls a new lease of life and they took off again. Only this time they found some very stinky poop and rolled on it. Another first! Dixie managed to get it all up the side of her face!! I was disgusted and rushed to hose them off. After that fiasco we went for lunch in the dog cafe. We slowly made our way home stopping in at a roadhouse with a dog run. What a day! All made possible by our chief navigator and great weather.

Beagle Beer and Beef!

The other night we all sat down to 'Yakiniku' (pieces of BBQ beef ) and beer. Shin had found "Happy Larger" for dogs on the internet and ordered some for Jazz and Dixie. It came in a three pack and each bottle looked distinctly like a beer bottle! Only in Japan! And the label !! Well you can see why he bought it. Anyway its non alocoholic and actually supposed to be a pet health drink! Dixie quite enjoyed it but Jazz was more interested in her steak!
Thanks to everyone who read our "All about Us" post. I will do a post about the turtle story soon so look out for that one!

All About Us

We were recently reading Peanut and Flash's blog and they had posted this Q and A to get to know us doggies a little better so we decided to do it for both Jazz and Dixie.
1. Your age? Jazz (hereafter referred to as J) 4 years and Dixie (hereafter referred to as D) 1 year.
2. Your age when came to live with your people? J 4.5mths and D 4mths
3. What color is the collar you’re wearing right now? We don't wear collars inside.
4. Who is your favorite person other than the people you live with? Mel's Mumma and teachers at school.
5. How much do you weigh? J - 12.5kgs and D - 9.6kgs
6. Most expensive thing you’ve ever chewed up? J - haven't chewed anything but my toys but the list for D includes CD's, TV remote, telephone, two pairs of mums good shoes etc etc.
7. Do you like other Dogs? Generally yes but J doesn't really like males who sniff her behind and J is a bit scared of big dogs.
8. Who is your best non-human friend? We are best friends but we do have other good friends that we like playing with at school and in the dog run.
9. Squeaky Toys or Tennis Balls? Both J and D love squeaky toys and D ocassionally plays with tennis balls.
10. Do you like to be brushed? J - love it. D - I just put up with it.
11. Peanut Butter or Cheese? Both
12. Do your people cut your toenails? not really, walking keeps them filed down.
13. Any formal education? No neither of us do.
14. Couch potato or Energizer Bunny? J - generally a couch potato.
D - definately an Energizer Bunny.
15. Five nicknames your people call you. J - Jazzy, Jazzingo, Soseji, Puchu and Be-gal.
D - Bad Bad Dixie, Dixingo, Dixie Chic, Dix and Puchu.
16. What is your best trick? J - sit, paw, paw down and wait but only for a snack.
D - finding the perfect spot for my bones.
17. Do you like kitties? Both curious but scared.
18. What did you have for breakfast? Semi moist food with a little milk.
19. Can you hunt (aka have you ever killed anything living)? If so, what? J - once ate Mum's small pet turtle!! D - Earthworms!!
20. When & why was the last time you went to the V.E.T.? end of last month for heart worm tablets.
21. Where do you sleep at night? In our crates.
22. Do you like to swim? J - NO WAY! D - never tried it.
23. Can you have puppies? Yep
24. Your favorite place to visit? Anywhere, dog cafes and restaurants.
25. Do you give kisses? J - yes if you ask and I'm in the mood. D - sometimes
26. Can you potty on command? Not really but sometimes by coincidence.
27. To Cuz or not to Cuz? To Cuz!! as long as the squeaker is still in them.

Lunch at Tora's

Yesterday we went to lunch at a friend's place. Tora (meaning Tiger) is a male Corgi who also goes to the same school as Jazz and Dixie; actually it was Tora's mum who introduced us to Dog Inc. We had a delicious summer lunch as the temperature outside rose to 30 degrees! Tora's mum had also made Jazz, Dixie and Tora a little bowl of chicken, which to use Nugget's words, they inhaled! Dixie was not as well behaved as I had hoped and she peed on the floor in Tora's house four times!! I really don't know what was wrong with her as she never does that at home and has been very good with using the pee sheets! In the afternoon we all took a walk in the park before heading home. Thanks to Tora's mum for a great day.

We Love Our School!!

While I was going on a mad cleaning rampage yesterday Jazz and Dixie where enjoying their day at school. When they were brought home I received this great bunch of pictures both from yesterday and from a walk they took along the Tama River while I was in Australia. From these pictures I know that my girls love going to school and I feel greatful that when I'm not able to be with them, that they are having fun and being cared for.

Toy Doctor!

Jazz and Dixie (especially Jazz) love soft toys. Everytime Jazz gets a new one she works like mad to get it open and pulls out the "snow" (white stuffing inside)!

Today I took advantage of Jazz and Dixie being at school, and decided to sew some of the most injured ones up. This is a task that I can not do with Jazz and Dixie around as they always get excited and try to pull the toys away from me and not to mention the dangerous needle!
After the hour long "operation" all the soft toys were doing well in recovery! How long they will stay that way, I don't know! But at least we get some extended playing time out of them. I also took the opportunity to wash a lot of the toys, the sofa covers, carpet squares and other general cleaning which Jazz and Dixie dislike.

Park Flower Watch

Well the pink azaleas in the park have all finished but beautiful hydrangeas have taken their place. Most of them are blue like the ones shown here but there are a few pink and purple ones. There is always something blooming in the park which makes for a colourful walk.

A Bath for Jazz!!

Jazz and Dixie ran off lead in the wet grass in the park this morning and came back home quite dirty! The grass has sticky stuff on it and the dirt attaches itself to that so they were really in need of a bath this morning.
A while back we asked our friends at AO4 how to make bath time a more pleasurable experience for the girls. Dave did a very insightful post on bathtime. So we tried to follow some of his tips. I tried first to wash them on the shower room floor but neither would stand still! So it was back into the tub where I could keep them contained! Our shower has a detachable head so it easily reaches to the tub. While soaping them up I did as Dave recommended and massaged them for a bit which Jazz liked a lot, Dixie just wiggled all over the place! Anyway I got them shampooed and rinsed and they were smelling good! While still in the shower room I encouraged both girls to shake, shake and shake some more! Once into the dry room I held onto one paw as Dave's mum recommended and sure enough the girls couldnt shake in there! So we proceeded to the much loved towel dry! Both Jazz and Dixie think its the best to wrestle with the towel, dive onto and under it and roll around like mad while I'm trying to dry them. We forwent the blow dryer today as its warm enough for them to dry off naturally. I finished this routine with lots of praise and a treat which goes a long way with Beagles being the food oriented doggies that they are! Thanks Dave of AO4 for your advice.

And a Bath for Dixie!!

Dixie took her turn in the bath too! As with Jazz she did not enjoy the washing part but had fun being towel dried! Its warm enough today so no blow dryer!!

A Huge Thank You to Dog Inc and Daddy!

While away in Oz I thought of my girls everyday and often wondered what they were up to. I got regular updates from dad with pics sent to my mobile phone which put my mind at ease. Jazz and Dixie also attended school three times while I was away and from the look of these photos they made more friends and had a great time. It made it easier for me to leave them knowing they were in good hands. Thanks.

We are Back!!

I am back in Japan after a great holiday in Oz. I really missed Jazz and Dixie but did have some animal companions to help. The beautiful Golden Retriever is Jasper who belongs to one of my best friends. He was super friendly, Jazz and Dixie would have loved to play with him! The cat is Griggio, my grandmother's cat. He is huge and really enjoyed warming his belly by the heater.

The cross stitch was started by me when I was in highschool (15 years ago!!!) and recently finished and framed by my grandmother. By the look of it, it was my destiny to own two beagles!!

Flower Watch

As we have been out and about in the park and surrounding neighbourhood we have noticed the the pink Azaleas are in full bloom. There is always something flowering in the park! The photos are not really good as they are taken on my mobile. Tomorrow I set off for Australia so there won't be anyone to help Jazz and Dixie update their blog or write comments on their friends' blogs. We will catch up with you all when I get back to Japan.

Dog Run

The day started out badly for Jazz and Dixie! After their morning walk I set about cleaning which they both hate! As I was washing the bath an idea sprang to mind - why not bath the beagles this fine sunny day?
Both Jazz and Dixie hate being washed! They don't mind the towel dry afterwards but run from the hair dryer! Anyway they were nice a clean when their friend Fei came over. We all went to the dog run together. It was quite busy there being a Sunday but all three got to run around and play with each other and other pups. Jazz also stopped in at the "Salad bar" to munch on some tasty grass! Both girls were hungry and demanded an early dinner!