A Game of Cat and Mouse!

Jazz and Dixie love to play with toys, especially cat toys!! Jazz has had a long running obsession with any kind of cat toy especially wind-up mice! Dixie of course wants to play along but cat toys are one thing that Jazz will not part with once she has gotten hold of them. Maybe she's a cat in Beagle's clothing!!

What's In a Name?

We have been tagged by our good friends at AO4 to play a new middle name game. We don’t have middle names so we thought we’d play along using our first names.

J – Jolly most of the time but sometimes Jealous
A – Always thinking about food!!
Z – ZZZZZZZZZ’s and lots of them!
Z – Zippy when in pursuit of Dixie

D – Dear cute little face.
I – Ice cubes are my favourite
X – Xtra strong teeth for chewing almost anything.
I – Into everything!!
E – Excitable wiggle butt!

We would like to tag Sparky, River and Toffee.

Pet Hotel Stay

While we were away Jazz and Dixie stayed at Dog Inc. Pet Hotel. They had a good time and when they got home they were very happy. It seemed as though we had not even been away! Jazz is usually very excited at first but then she remembers that she was left and doesn't want to talk to me but this time was ok. It wasn't as long as the last time and there were many old and new friends staying at the pet hotel. Thanks again to Dog Inc. for taking good care of my puppies.

A Dog's Paradise!

Jazz and Dixie didn't come to Kyushu with us but we were kept company by Shin's brother and sister in law's beagles Rocky (blue shirt) and Bobby (red shirt). Yesterday late afternoon we took them to the best dog run we have visited in Japan. This huge, well fenced dog run was opened in April this year. The grass was so green and lush and the heart shaped pool so cooling that instantly I wished that Jazz and Dixie could of been there to frollick and race around with Rocky and Bobby. The two of them had a brilliant time and even made friends with a playful Siberian Husky named Leo. It was a great afternoon for the boys and us. We enjoyed our holiday in Kyushu but missed Jazz and Dixie.

Obon in Kyushu

Shin and I were invited by Shin's brother to spend a few days in Kumamoto, Kyushu. From there we did a day trip to Nagasaki about 2 hours from Kumamoto. During Japan's period of national isolation, Nagasaki was the only gateway to the West. Our first stop in Nagasaki was Glover Garden, overlooking the whole of Nagasaki Port. It was here, in 1863 that Thomas Blake Glover built a house and beautiful gardens. It was a very hot 36 degrees but the stroll through the gardens and houses was pleasant. After that we lined up and waited an hour!! to eat lunch in a famous Chinese restarant serving Nagasaki's most well know dish, Champon (noodles in soup topped with various meats and vegetables). After lunch we visited Nagasaki Dejima, site of the former Dutch trading employees. It was very interesting to read about the Dutch East India Trading Company and their dealings with Japan. Some of the exhibits were also very well airconditioned which provided a respite from the sweltering heat. On our way back out of Nagasaki we stopped in a Nagasaki Peace Park complete with peace statue and many thousands of paper cranes.






The next day we visited 400 year old Kumamoto Castle which is said to be the 3rd most beautiful castle in Japan. As we climbed the stairs to the top floor we could read about the history of the castle, its inhabitants and the wars waged over it. From the top we had a great view over the gardens and some of Kumamoto.

A Beagle Morning at Komazawa Dog Run

This morning, by pure coincidence, the small dog run in our local Komazawa Park played host to a group of 6 beagle friends and one very big beagle (Einstein the Basset)!

As well as old friends, Biwako and Cookie, there was Bisco (Cookie's new sister) and another very petite little beagle to play with. The pack had fun playing with a ball and chasing each other around. After breakfast we took the girls to the vet for their yearly vacinations and heart worm medication. Jazz really freaks out at the vet even in the presence of treats! Dixie didn't like the needle but other than that she was ok.

Yoyogi Park

After playing around in the dog run I took the girls for a walk around the park while daddy went back to the car to cool off! It really is a nice park and I can't believe this is the first time I've been there in my 6 years in Tokyo! I guess its just a bit difficult to get there with two dogs without a car. Usually when we rent a car we go further afield but at 36 degrees outside it would be way to hot by the time we got anywhere so we stayed local.

Dixie's 1st Anniversary!

On this day one year ago little Dixie entered our lives for the first time. It was an equally hot summer day when we went to pick her up. So in order to celebrate such a special occassion we bundled the girls into a car and took them to Yoyogi Park, a nice big park in Tokyo. We left home at seven to try to get there by 7.30am as it is just too hot to be out with the girls in the day! Wow Yoyogi Park Dog Run is great compared with our local dog run in Komazawa. Its a nice big fenced in area covered with wood chips and shaded by many trees. At first Jazz and Dixie were pretty shy and stayed mostly around us but we were joined in the dog run by three other boy beagles and then some other friendly dogs. We played fetch with a favourite squeaky ball, ran around a bit and crunched ice cubes! Even under the shade that early in the morning it was still quite hot.

Dog Sorbet!

Yesterday on our afternoon walk we stopped in at the local pet shop. They had a stand of summer dog products to beat the heat on display with everything ranging from freeze dried icecream to dog sorbet to cool gell mats and pillows to lie on.
Jazz and Dixie like the icecream but I thought we'd try something different for a change so I bought the Wan Wan Sherbet (dog sorbet) in little plastic cups and put it in the freezer overnight. This morning after breakfast I let the girls try them and boy did they love them! I tried to get them to sit and wait while I put the sorbet down in front of them so I could take a few photos. Jazz managed to wait a second but Dixie couldn't resist getting in one lick before I said they could eat them! They were gone in seconds!

Tom and Jerry

A while back our friends at AO4 asked everyone which cartoon characters they thought they were most like.

Well after some thinking we have come up with our answer for Jazz and Dixie. Tom and Jerry, even though they are boys, seem most like our girls. Firstly there is a matter of size with Jazz being bigger like Tom and Dixie smaller like Jerry. Then there is the mischief factor - well for those of you who regularly read the antics of Jazz and Dixie you already know that Dixie is sometimes a bit of a handful! She delights in pulling Jazz's tail, snapping at her ankles, playfully biting her neck and stealing Jazz's chewy bones. Anyone of these things provokes Jazz into chasing Dixie and pounching on her and ends in the two of them rolling around on top of each other until someone gets hurt! When in a dog run or off lead in the park Jazz can't resist a good game of 'cat and mouse' with Dixie. Jazz always catches Dixie in the end even though Dixie is faster than her. Dixie just stops all of a sudden and lets herself be caught! Dixie also fills her roll as Jerry whenever I try to put her harness on. She always tries to entice me into her own little game of cat and mouse which sometimes is not amusing! But at the end of the day for all their chasing and tackling each other Jazz and Dixie are the best of friends!

A Dip in the Pool

It was another stinking hot and humid day here so I pulled out the children's paddling pool I'd bought for Jazz a few years back. It just fits the width of the balcony of our apartment and is a great way for the girls and us to cool off. Jazz is getting better at getting into the water by herself. At first she was a little hesitant but after a few licks of the cool water she got in and waded around. Dixie on the other hand could not be coaxed into the water even with a snack! I picked her up and put her in the ankle deep water but she promptly jumped out. She was quite content to watch from the sidelines and drink from the hose. After finishing our "swim" the plants on the balcony and in the apartment got a good watering and the balcony got a much needed wash.

Mango Madness!

Summer in Japan often means "summer gifts" from friends or work collegues. Shin received this wonderful box of absolutely delicious Okinawan mangoes from his boss this week! Now if the world were made of mangoes I'd be in my element as I love them. Jazz and Dixie also go nuts everytime I cut one up and sit down to eat it. Looking into those pleading eyes (they are looking at my bowl of mango in the pic) I give in and share my mango with them. Boy are they happy about that!