Friday 3 October 2014

Ben the Beagle wins a prize at Chiswick House Dog Show!




This blog is often filled with doom and gloom, so today I thought that I would share a story with you about my dog, which will hopefully put a smile on your face.

Ben is part Beagle, part Tasmanian Devil and  part Dolphin!

While walking him in Chiswick Park a couple of months ago, he decided that the other dogs were boring and it would be much more fun to swim after the ducks, geese and swans.

While I was whistling and and shouting at him to come back, a casual bystander (without dog or child) told me that I had to get my dog out of the water. (Just to let you know, the rules of the park are that dogs are allowed into the lake so long as they are not encouraged to do so by throwing in balls or sticks). I pointed out to the gentleman that calling and whistling the dog was actually me proactively attempting to retrieve my errant canine.



"Well you need to do more!" was the reply.

Flabbergasted, I enquired "what do you want me to do, go in after him?"

His response shocked everyone around when he asserted "Well frankly, yes!"

I was left with the choice of sending him into the lake to involuntarily retrieve my dog, or, I had better go in and get him 'voluntarily.'

As the air turned blue, small children's eyes were swiftly covered and the old lady recently acquainted with lying prostrate on the grass was given the vapours, I stripped to my underwear and waded in after 'Ben the Bastard!'



He thought that it was great fun for me to swim after him and chase him in the lake, much more fun than him chasing the birds!!

After about 5 minutes, he thought better of the game and my rising temper, and swimming further away found the bank and ran for his life in a storm of water droplets like cloud dispersing behind him.

The gentleman in question, satisfied at the conclusion, departed swiftly before I emerged like a drowned rat from the lake.

I believe the photographic and video evidence is now festering on the internet.

Back to the dog show last weekend.

Ben was entered for 'Naughtiest Dog.' The above story was the reason that I gave for him being due the title, and as 'The Fairy Dog Mother' (one of Chiswick Park's legendary dog walkers) was one of the judges, she could share the photographs and video that she had taken of the incident with the other judges!!



Needless to say, Ben won 1st prize as 'The Naughtiest Dog' category. However, when I attached his 'Badge of Shame,' otherwise known as his rosette, to his collar, he proceeded to tear it to shreds within minutes, proving to all that the title was appropriately imposed.

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