Several people have admired the photos of our dog, so I thought I would take up the meme suggested by Carolyn here, and write more about her.
This is Pippa. She's an irish setter, 4 years old although people meeting her tend to assume she's much younger because she looks gangly to someone not used to the breed, and is extremely lively.
She is our first dog together as a couple - after leaving home I mean. We chose the breed because we wanted a dog who would enjoy the long walks that I love; who would be lively and fun to play with (my husband's main criterion); and who would also be somewhat independant minded and able to cope with a few hours alone. She has proved ideal in all of these. The only snag is that the dog I trained before was a colly, and setters just don't have the same work ethic! Recall in particular is a challenge, and it doesn't help that she's not much motivated by food.
On the other hand she is a delight to the eye, mesmerisingly so - her movement, her manner, everything. Even those who know setters think she is a good example. Her coat is naturally glossy; she gets a bath about twice a year, in plain water. Brain: you'll be wondering about that. Well no, that's not her strong suit, but what she's good at is her sense of direction, her patience, and her memory. She's not great at working things out. On walks, she is phenomenally fast: I have never seen any dog outrun her, and I've never tired her out since she reached adulthood.
P is OK in the garden. I can't say she's great. She gets bored after about an hour or so and misbehaves. She has me well trained - she knows it will get my attention! So if I'm thinking, I keep an eye on her and take her inside, out of harm's way, while she's still being good. Otherwise she will start pulling plants out of pots. She doesn't dig, fortunately.
We also have a cat, about whom I will write another time.
Now, here are some photos of Pippa. Many are from when she was younger and she has filled out a little - you can't see her ribs any more, honest!
Ahhhh! She is a beauty! Pictures are good - full of movement and energy! I want to go and run with her!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was about ten years old my dad introduced me to some novels by Jim Keilgard (sp?). The main hero? Big Red, and Irish Setter. Ever since then I have been in love with the dogs, and so seeing pictures of yours has been enjoyable. Looks like fun, maybe someday...
ReplyDelete:) I should say that the pictures were all taken by my husband. As you can see his interest in photography has developed in the last 4 years. The one at the top was in our garden the fist day we collected her, from over 100 miles away; she hadn't even been into the house yet (we introduced her to the cat in the garden).
ReplyDeleteHi Emily, Dogs are great and yours looks lovely. I like the expression on her face in the last picture. Bob.
ReplyDeletePippa looks precious and what an adorable puppy she was! I can see her zestful energy perfectly in the third photo! Dogs truly are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting the 'Mystery plant ID post'.
Karrita