Diesel Dog

It's been a hard day's walk

2010-05-25T19:55:00.004+01:00

Tuesday was hot and overcast,Diesel had his usual three hour walk.

Then he retired to his new favourite place for his usual after walk nap and slept like a log.

Tie me kangaroos dog,sport

2009-05-29T00:59:00.011+01:00

It was hot again on Thursday.

The horses were sporting the latest fashions.

Somewhere in this picture is a Dylan.

The dogs practiced their jumping on the small jumps.

Then Rosie and Dylan tried a jump that was taller than them.

Diesel cleared it easily.

Dylan is the most independent of the dogs.

Time for a rest and a drink.

Then more kangaroo hopping.

Hey,bird dogs get away from my quail

2009-05-28T00:13:00.013+01:00

Sunday was the second day of Diesel's holiday with Rosie and Dylan but the first day his boss remembered to empty the memory card in his camera.

Diesel is a supersized vizsla.

The dogs cool down on one of the hottest days of the year so far.

This is a problem being solved.

The camera is near the exit to this field.

The way in is down hill on the left.

Usually there is a tape running up the middle of the field with horses on the far side.

But not today.

Anthony first saw a big fox in the field and when he got half way up the hill he found a lot of horses infront of him.

So he told the dogs to walk on the other side of the tape.

But today there was not one tape but two,running in parallel a short distance apart.

On the far side of the tapes there were even more horses.

The tapes made a corridor up to the top of the field but the exit was in the area where the horses were.

The horses had seen the dogs and come over to express their displeasure.

The dogs were told to sit and wait while their boss tried to lure the horses to another part of the field.

The horses had other ideas and stayed with the now surrounded dogs who waited patiently for a command.

With horses between them and the exit the dogs had to stay where they were.

Eventually the horses stopped following the dogs so closely and a gap appeared which was big enough to get the dogs to the exit.

This picture was taken just before the dogs were called over to the style.

The horses were more relaxed when the dogs were on the other side of the fence.

Thankfully,there were no horses in this field.

Rosie,Dylan and Diesel have just received a serious telling off.

In the foreground is a recently plucked and very worried pheasant.

Dylan had pointed the pheasant and when Rosie saw him she charged in and flushed it.

Then they started to chase it and Diesel (who knows better) joined in,all ignoring their boss when he shouted "Leave it!".

The bird only got a few feet off the ground before it was pulled down.

There then followed a comical sight as three excited dogs tried to get hold of the pheasant while an angry man tried to catch the dogs and fell over in the process.

This ended in the scene pictured above.

Three dogs being lectured on their etiquette while a worried pheasant waits until noboody is looking before running away minus many of it's feathers.

Dylan and Diesel would like to make it clear that this is not what it looks like.

They just happened to fall over at the same time and landed on the bed next to eachother.

They have reputations to maintain after all.

That is more like it,Diesel in bed with a pretty bitch.

Ride on

2009-05-27T23:00:00.012+01:00

On Wednesday Anthony and the dogs saw the future of suburban transport.

Horses,ridden by pretty blondes in jodhpurs who know what vizslak are and think Rosie,Dylan and Diesel are really well trained.

Anthony rather likes the future of suburban transport.

Rosie,Dylan and Diesel rather like jumping over horsey things.

The dogs made their boss very proud today.

This picture was taken a few seconds after they flushed the same pheasant they plucked on Sunday.

If it isn't the same pheasant them someone else has plucked another pheasant in the same place.

This time though the dogs stayed and sat when they were told to.

It is amazing the difference a really big telling off makes.

After all that running and flushing the dogs needed a drink.

This is a very special house,bats live there.

There are three vizslak in this picture but they can only be seen when they pop up like kangaroos.

The black thing in the bushes is a crow the dogs found on the way home,it looked like it was injured and ran into the bushes when the dogs came near.

This is Tiggy who lives with Rosie and Dylan.

The bartender's working on a late night shift

2009-05-27T21:45:00.012+01:00

Tuesday's walk started with the usual swim in the river.

After two years,Diesel has recently decided he does fetch balls,as long as they are squidgee.

The dogs each take turns to get the ball.

Anthony decided it was easier to go around the field full of horses today.

The horses are friendlier when the dogs are outside their field.

Dylan is more interested in finding ducks than fetching balls.

The dogs insisted on staying in the pub for a few hours after their walk.

Anthony was glad the dogs were there because later he needed them to carry him home.

I'm horny,horny,horny,horny.

2009-05-26T01:36:00.016+01:00

On Monday Anthony,Diesel,Rosie and Dylan had a big problem.

This long horned bull is not alone,he has two dozen friends lying down behind the crest of the hill.

They are right next to the footpath and bulls often don't like dogs.

The fence might make them look like they are in a different field but they are not,the field is L shaped.

Anthony's Standard Operational Procedure is to make the dogs sit and wait at the entrance to the field while he walks to the exit.

Then he calls the dogs who run past the cattle before they even notice them.

This is prime Cheshire countryside.

This is three vizslak taking full advantage of it.

Which is a perfect time for Anthony to test the "Lie down!" command.

This is the dogs demonstrating the "Run through long grass while jumping like kangaroos!" command.

This is the "Look so tired that Anthony has an excuse to go to the pub!" command.

This is three vizslak saying "I can't get a round in,I've forgotten my wallet!".

Strangely,the dogs say the same thing everytime they go to the pub.

The boys drank Rosie under the table.

Helter skelter

2009-04-29T18:01:00.011+01:00

On Wednesday,yes,this Wednesday,Diesel met Lilly,Sally and Taffy in the woods.

The dogs all waited patiently for permission to cross the road.

Then got down to business on the other side.

Diesel practiced his swimming.

While Taffy practiced not swimming.

Lilly has the only ball the dogs are interested in.

This handsome young man is Marley.

This was the first time anyone had met Marley.

He is officially only the second vizsla dog to ever be seen in the history of the park.

Which is quite impressive as the park is over five hundred years old.

Cassie was the second vizsla in the park,after Diesel,which makes Marley third overall.

Diesel did not like Marley of course.

Having two vizsla dogs in the park is just not on.

When everyone else had gone home,Diesel discovered this fine example of post modernist expressionism.

Or maybe it was a helter skelter.

All right now,baby it's all right now!

2009-04-28T18:42:00.015+01:00

Due to overwhelming demand from the public,we present:

"Tuesday In The Park"

This is not just any Tuesday,but actually today Tuesday.

Just three hours ago in fact.

Taffy greeted Diesel in the appropriate manner.

He is quite the young gentleman.

The boys then demonstrated the appropriate way to pose for PlayDog magazine.

This one will really impress the bitches.

When trying to impress bitches,it is best not to look desperate.

When trying to photograph dogs it is best not to have a full memory card.

At this point Lilly and Sally arrived.

Followed shortly afterwards by Pongo and Grace.

Grace only has two legs but is better at fetching than the dogs are.

Which is quite impressive as she is shorter than the dogs are.

She also looks rather fetching in wellingtons and waterproofs.

You would already know that if Anthony's memory card was not full.

See our friends,see the sights,feel alright

2009-04-25T22:00:00.002+01:00

Saturday was hot and sunny.

Diesel met one of his newest girlfriends.

Megan is a lovely little Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

She is the same age as Diesel.

Then it was out to the fields to chase hares.

Out in the fields,pointing has just begun

2009-04-24T00:01:00.004+01:00

On Friday Diesel walked in the fields.

There are lots of things to point at in the long grass.

Diesel wonders just how long he has to stand still for photographs.

He can stand on a point for twenty minutes.

He also knows he should lie down after flushing Partridges.

Rolling,turning,diving,going in again!

2009-04-18T00:04:00.024+01:00

Taffy was in the park on Thursday.

But he had to go home.

Which left Diesel,Dylan and Jake.

Guess who remembers his Green Cross Code?

This is quite possibly a dog.

But which dog it possibly is we do not know.

We do know which dog this is though.

It is Ella.

This one looks a little familiar too.

Dylan and Jake had new leads.

The boys tested them for safety.

You can't be too careful.

This is the tangle test.

Next the tug test.

Then the strain testing begins.

Finally,Dylan and Diesel conduct handling tests.

The lead passed it's tests but Diesel realised a system is only as strong as it's weakest link.

It was obviously very important to make sure Jake's neck was strong enough.

Neck testing had to be very thorough.

If Jake's neck was not up to the job,his head might fall off when the lead was pulled.

Diesel had to ensure rigorous test standards were adhered to.

He tested the side of Jak's neck.

Then he tested the throat.

A quick inspection was needed.

To make sure Jake's head was still working.

Dogs on film

2009-04-17T00:42:00.038+01:00

On Tuesday,even Anthony's best photographs were not very good.

On Wednesday Anthony redeemed himself.

Every single photograph was good enough to put in the blog.

Some didn't even need to be trimmed.

Here they are.

Diesel met Fudge in the rain sodden park.

Fudge doesn't swim.

Though he does like to go in the water.

He doesn't like to go too far out.

This is as far as he gets.

Diesel tries to give Fudge swimming lessons.

But Fudge won't go any further.

The lake gets a lot deeper just beyond where Fudge is standing.

Some human help was needed.

The amphibious Special Biscuit Service were deployed.

Despite their best efforts Fudge still did not swim.

The boys had trouble spotting all the amphibious biscuits.

They have offered a reward to anyone who helps them locate more amphibious biscuits.

If you can point out any more biscuits in these pictures,the boys will give you half.

Diesel and Fudge couldn't find anymore amphibious biscuits in the lake.

They decided to search on dry land.

It is best to look where you are going when searching for amphibious biscuits.

It is even better to look in their likely hiding places.

It is important to remember your Green Cross Code when hunting for amphibious biscuits.

Unless you spot an amphibious biscuit making a run for it.

In which case it is a good idea to catch them in a pincer movement.

Then the amphibious biscuits will be surrounded.

The boys move in to finish off the amphibious biscuit.

But biscuits can be dangerous when cornered.

Fudge was heavily counterattacked by the bitter ender.

Diesel tried a rearguard action.

Fudge was in full retreat.

With Diesel rushing to his aid.

Finally the boys defeated the amphibious biscuits.

Victory!

But what is that in the sky above them?

Is it a passing Kestrel.......or an incoming wave of crack airborne biscuits.

Crackers!

It's all out of focus

2009-04-16T23:16:00.015+01:00

On Tuesday Anthony forgot how to use his camera.

This is Bonney.

Diesel likes Bonney a lot.

Bonney is not alowed to play with other dogs because she bites.

Which says something about Diesel's taste in women.

This would have been a really nice picture of Fudge if it was in focus and in frame.

This picture of Diesel and Jake was in frame but out of focus.

Apparently,you can't have everything.

This picture was in focus but out of frame.

One out of two ain't bad.

Yet another wasted opportunity.

That is more like it.

Fudge has a problem.

Whenever he stops running,his head falls down.

See.

Run to the hills,run for your ball

2009-04-16T22:36:00.004+01:00

The boys were in the park on Monday

Fudge showed Taffy how much easier life is with long legs.

Diesel showed Fudge how much easier life is with a head.

Fudge thinks his head is a little bit heavy for his neck.

Diesel soon took his mind off that.

Vizsla on The storm

2009-04-16T00:36:00.008+01:00

Sunday was Stormy.

At least it was if Anthony's hazy memory isn't failing him again.

Storm is a lovely young Weimaraner boy.

Diesel rather liked him.

He rather liked Diesel too.

Diesel also likes pointing.

...and pointing.

....and pointing

.....and pointing.

......and,now he's just showing off.

This was a little strange.

This rather vulgar vehicle stopped briefly in the park.

The doors opened and cameras flashed.

Then the doors closed and it drove off.

Not again!

You'll sometimes walk alone

2009-04-15T23:09:00.006+01:00

Saturday,we think this was Saturday,was hot and sunny.

There can't have been anyone in the park if all Diesel did was pose for pictures.

Diesel looked hot and bored.

Diesel couldn't see any of his friends.

At least he got some pointing done.

Friday I'm in love

2009-04-15T22:35:00.012+01:00

It's probably Friday but it's not five forty five and it is definitely not Crackerjack.

It is however,Taffy and Sally....

..... and Lilly and Fudge.

With a special guest appearance by The Lake.

Diesel and Anthony can't remember who this handsome chap is,they only ever met him once.

They think he had a distinguished name like Homer,but they have drunk lots of beer since meeting him so that might not be true.

Anthony rather liked this pretty little bitch.

Diesel preferred the puppy.

He'll be gone after November

2009-04-15T20:32:00.014+01:00

If that was Wednesday,this must be Thursday.

Diesel practiced his pointing on the squirrels.

Is it front or back for fur?

Diesel would like a bit of fur on the side.

"Is the camera still rolling?"

This is not Dylan.

In fact Anthony is not quite sure who this is.

Not because he doesn't know.

It has just been a long time since this picture was taken....erm,on Thursday.

Possibly.

Anyway,he thinks this is Storm or Sky or Shadow or possibly Breeze.

Which is quite embarrassing because they used to walk with this particular pack quite a lot.

But that was a long time ago,possibly.

That makes Anthony think this is Dusty,who was usually part of the same pack.

If this is who Anthony thinks this is then this is a sad picture.

Dusty started to have epileptic fits.

Anthony thinks Dusty started the long sleep at the start of November.

Diesel and Anthony will miss Dusty and so will many others.

Wake me up when September ends

2009-04-14T22:21:00.041+01:00

Wednesday comes after Tuesday.

Usually anyway.

Which means these pictures must have been taken on Wednesday.

Not this Wednesday,nor last Wednesday.

These pictures were taken on another Wednesday entirely.

At least we think they were.

They don't have cars like this in the park on Tuesdays.

We have never seen a car like this in the park on a Thursday either.

We have never seen the Lake Ness Monster on a Friday.

Taffy has never been known to swim on a Saturday.

Come to think of it,Taffy has never been known to swim.

Diesel and Jake never play rugby on The Lord's day.

It is entirely unheard of for Diesel to take a penalty kick on a Sunday.

He obviously missed that one.

He always misses on Wednesdays.

A naked welsh streaker interrupted play.

That rules out Monday.

A Pomeranian girl stripped off in the stands.

It must be Wednesday.

A couple of girls joined the boys in the bath after the game.

But they were both dogs.

Taffy demonstrated the art of not swimming.

He still got wet though.

The boys had a few drinks in a rock club after the game.

Diesel and Jake were headbanging to AC:DC.

Then the moshing started.

The boys jumped around to House of Pain.

Before long Jake was legless.

He needed somebody to lean on.

The youngsters can't hold their ale like Dylan.

They've not got his balls.

Diesel looked the worse for wear.

Dylan was still trying his best to impress the ladies.

The doormen soon told them to go home.

Diesel couldn't remember where home was.

He spent ages waiting for a taxi.

Then decided to walk.

Diesel tried to chat up some pussy he met in the street.

But the cat got his tongue.

Don't fear the reaper

2007-12-15T18:17:00.001Z

"Love of two is one,

Here but now they're gone,

Came the last night of sadness,

And it was clear he couldn't go on,

Then the door was open and the wind appeared,

The candles blew and then disappeared,

The curtains flew and then he appeared,

Saying don't be afraid.

Come on Ollie... And he had no fear,

And he ran to him... Then they started to fly,

They looked backward and said goodbye,

He had become like they are,

He had taken his hand,

He had become like they are.

Come on Ollie...don't fear the reaper."

Diesel and Oliver have been best friends since the moment they met.

They have both had issues with other dogs but never with eachother.

All they ever did together was run and play.

Diesel has a lot of friends but Ollie was his best friend.

They both lived next to the park and would have been best friends for the rest of their lives.

Yesterday they played in the park for the last time.

Oliver died last night.

He had a heart attack.

He was two years old.

These are the unedited pictures from their last walk.

On a cold Friday Diesel met Sally in the park.

Sally was with Lilly as usual.

Then they were joined by Diesel's best friend Oliver.

Diesel and Oliver played like they always had.

Oliver was much easier to see in the dark than Diesel.

Mysterious lights appeared in the park.

It was Fudge with his illuminated collar.

The boys got down to business.

Sally joined in too.

When the boys play,Sally likes to referee.

Lilly disappeared for a while.

Fudge doesn't often stand still.

He is like a grey torpedo coming out of the darkness.

Except when Anthony takes a picture of course.

Oliver doesn't look too good in this picture.

Ollie went back to doing what he and Diesel liked best.

They might not look very energetic but it was only possible to take pictures of the boys when they stopped for a few seconds.

Diesel and Oliver have a break for treats.

Fudge,stands still again,briefly.

Oliver always looked like a very fit and healthy boy.

He always gave Diesel a run for his money.

Oliver didn't like other dogs when he was on the lead.

But he was very good with Diesel.

This is the last we will ever see of Ollie.

Diesel and Anthony will miss him a lot.

Hello Alex and Ben!

2007-10-25T00:51:00.000+01:00

Diesel,Rosie and Dylan would like to say hello to Alex and Ben who they met near Halebarns today,they hope they remembered your names correctly too!

There will be a full blog entry on this page when time permits.

My doggy from Tokyo

2007-09-12T11:07:00.001+01:00

Tuesday was warm and sunny.

Lilly,Sally,Taffy,Jake and Dylan were already in the park when Diesel arrived.

A very large Japanese akita was also there without it's owner.

This is the same dog Diesel had met previously.

The one Diesel had told off when it had come too close to him.

Today it wisely stayed away from Diesel.

It also stayed away from the other dogs who were big enough or old enough to tell it where to go.

However it did take an unwelcome interest in young Taffy.

He did his best to tell it to leave him alone,whilst also doing his best to run away.

Being stalked was too much even for gentle Taffy who had never been seen to bark in anger before.

A fight with an ownerless akita was an unsavoury prospect.

As everyone had their hands full with their own dogs,Anthony decided to take Diesel away and find help.

Soon the park rangers were there and the dog warden was on his way.

Taffy's owner Ron bravely seized the akita which turned out to be rather less fearsome than it looked.

In fact it was very friendly.

The akita's owner reportedly had left it in the park earlier and had already been called to get it once.

When it refused to go with him he left it a second time.

When the rangers took control of it,they borrowed Dylan's lead.

It did not want to go anywhere with them either.

It took them quite some time to take it away to the dog warden.

Who knows what happened to the akita after that.

With the drama over,the dogs cooled off in the lake.

Sally and Lilly like to paddle but don't swim much.

Jake and Diesel have their own way to dry off after a swim.

Dylan and Jake left Diesel a ball to play with.

Diesel doesn't usually like balls.

But he does like balls which squeak.

He spent a long time playing with this one.

He just kept squeaking it.

When he wasn't fetching it.

Diesel uses his paws almost like hands.

On the way home Diesel practiced his squirrel chasing.

Fortunately he never catches them.

Unfortunately he lost the sqeaky ball whilst chasing this one.

Love bites

2007-09-10T21:27:00.001+01:00

He is back the dog behind the blog.

After an absence of over a month the adventures of Diesel can now resume.

Once in a park many weeks ago....

Ella used to bark at the big dogs and chase them away.

They let her chase them too.

But she stopped doing that when her friend Toby died.

She also stopped eating.

Diesel and his friends get treats to encourage Ella to eat.

On Monday,when they were getting treats Ella bit Diesel instead of barking at him.

Diesel was not expecting that and gave Ella a telling off.

Ella was not expecting that because Diesel always runs away when she barks at him.

Diesel is still recovering from his first bite but Ella did not injure him.

He still likes Ella but she does not like him at the moment.

Dylan,Jake,Lilly,Sally and Taffy soon arrived.

Lilly was accused of being on drugs (on prescription of course!).

She pleaded "Peace man!".

Jake and Diesel played tug of war for a change.

Sally was the referee.

This went on for quite a while.

Then they got back to their usual pursuits.

They had a break for lunch,it was Jake's turn to catch it.

Lilly "Chillin' man!".

Diesel doesn't often compete with Dylan for a stick.

Nor does anyone else for that matter.

Diesel demonstrating that discretion is the better part of valour.

Diesel and Jake always have a last play before they go their separate ways.

This fast food was not fast enough for someone,but it wasn't Diesel.

This is young Roxy.

She is a bull mastiff bitch.

Diesel has only met her a few times.

He likes her a lot when he gets used to her.

Jumpin' Jack Russel

2007-09-07T02:59:00.000+01:00

It was hot once more on Thursday

Diesel met a new Dalmatian which he liked a lot.

But it was not around long enough to find out it's name.

This is Megan,she is a six year old springer spaniel.

Diesel had never met her before but she is very pretty.

Dylan and Jake turned up to meet her too.

Anthony has fogotten the name of this Cairn terrier bitch.

This was also the first time they had met her.

Jessie and Chester arrived and Diesel gave Chester a telling off.

Only the second time Diesel had done that in six weeks.

It was Chester the first time too.

Tiffany soon turned up and swam at her first ever attempt.

While Anthony was pointing the camera the other way.

This is a Jack Russel called Boris.

Diesel knows Boris well.

But not as well as Jake knows him,ahem.

Tiffany met Jack and Polly.

Tiffany likes her sticks Diesel size.

Cloud spotting.

Diesel makes yet another attempt to kill Jake.

A rare picture of Dylan without a ball.

Diesel's tail seems to be better now.

Jake has clearly decided that he is now well and truly dead.

Zac was found in the lake with no owner in sight.

He had been there for half an hour.

When his owner tried to get him he swam to the other side of the lake.

Which is where he met the boys for the first time.

Zac has a lot in common with Dylan.

They both dig under water and they both hate black Labradors.

Zac was still in the water when everybody moved on.

This golden retreiver joined everyone briefly.

Nobody knows who he is.

Fudge arrived and introduced himself to Max.

Oliver is staying with Max temporarily and brought him to the park.

Max had never met the boys before.

Diesel really doesn't like this sort of thing.

Which is probably why he gave Max a telling off.

His third in about six weeks.

Dylan liked Max in the same way he likes black Labradors.

Which is not a lot.

Maybe Max reminded Dylan of Socks.

Maybe he was a little stressed by his run in with Zac.

This was not a good combination so Oliver and Max went the other way.

Rabbit Fighter

2007-09-06T01:16:00.000+01:00

Wednesday was another fine day.

Perhaps it really is summer time.

Storm is a new boy in the park.

He is a four month old Weimaraner.

This was the second time Diesel had met him.

Diesel liked him a lot.

But not as much as he liked killing Jake.

Dylan and Taffy chase balls.

Jake and Diesel fight to the death,again.

The boys cool off.

Taffy still does not want to swim.

The boys help Ella with her food.

She won't eat without some male competition.

Not since her friend Toby died recently.

Distraction training for Diesel.

He would rather go to play with the boys than do this.

This is Tiffany.

You would have read about her in a previous post.

If Anthony had written it yet.

She is a four month old Jack Russel.

Jake must die,once more.

A nine dog party.

Some of these have not met before.

What are those people doing in the park?

Tiffany and Molly.

Oliver arrives.

A gratuitous Dylan shot for "them".

Lilly and Sally join in too.

Oliver is faster than Diesel.

But only just.

Roby and Molly are Jack Russel pups like Tiffany.

They are Jessie's children.

Jessie likes Tiffany too.

You would know that if Anthony had not missed a few posts.

Despite her size Tiffany tried to protect everyone from some very dangerous looking cyclists.

Oliver and Diesel.

Like Jake and Diesel only faster.

Oliver has decided to go home with Diesel.

Change of plan.

Now Diesel is going home with Oliver.

Can you spot the Rabbits?

Diesel can,and point at them too.

Diesel's favourite bitch Diva.

Her recently adopted little brother Layland.

Layland thinks he is a big he dog.

One day he probably will be.

Dive!Dive!Dive!

2007-09-04T22:55:00.000+01:00

Tuesday was a beautiful day.

Diesel took Anthony to the park.

He decided Anthony could not be trusted next to a road.

Diesel walked him all the way to the park on the lead.

Indy is a thirteen year old Weimaraner bitch.

This is the first time Diesel had met her.

She used to live with a nine year old Weimaraner bitch which died recently.

Dylan does not support Liverpool.

He insisted on removing their crest from his ball.

This is Dusty and Sally.

Dusty lives with Socks.

They have just returned from France.

Sally has decided Dusty is her new boyfriend.

Lilly,Sally,Socks and Dusty.

Socks is on the lead because he does not like Dylan.

Dusty would rather play ball than play with girls.

Sally decided to play with Diesel.

She does not usually play when other dogs are there.

Dylan hunts for salvage.

Then he dives for it.

Finally he recovers it.

Lilly likes to show the youngsters that she still has it.

Diesel kills Jake.

Madge plays hard to get.

She is incredibly pretty but Anthony has not got any good pictures of her yet.

Diesel makes sure Jake is really dead this time.

Dylan's looks dark and mysterious for his fans.

Diesel hurt his tail recently.

He doesn't like the idea of going back to the vet.

Living it up when you're going down

2007-09-04T00:12:00.000+01:00

Monday was warm and sunny for a change.

Dylan,Jake and Taffy were waiting in the park.

Diesel and Jake developed yet another new style of play fighting.

Young Taffy gave Dylan some competition.

Until the water got too deep.

Diesel and Jake bark softly and carry a big stick.

Then Lilly and Sally arrive.

Diesel likes to know where his boss is.

Dylan has probably mistaken the biscuit for a ball.

Lilly is not amused.

Anthony will be very rich.

If he can think of a title for this which nobody can understand.

Another Dylan shot for the girls.

Madge is a beautiful lurcher bitch.

The boys all fancy her but at the moment they fancy her more than usual.

She won't be able to play with them for another week or so.

Diesel takes a bath.

Dylan,going down.

This also went down.

But it did not go all the way.

Brown dog in the rain.Tra la la la la.

2007-09-03T00:08:00.000+01:00

Sunday was very wet and the park was very empty.

This was a lot wetter than it looks.

Diesel likes the rain and he likes having the park to himself.

This tree was cut down months ago.

It is still growing and so is it's stump.

Even in the rain Diesel finds rabbits.

He likes to chase moorhens too.

Jake and Dylan have not seen Diesel since his stitches were removed.

They have not been around because their car caught fire.

Some women will do anything to meet firemen.

Shouldn't Dylan have that ball?

Diesel the devildog.

Jake is very handsome.

Someone had a fortieth birthday and lost their balloon.

It floated down from high above into the park.

And somehow ended up tied to Diesel's collar.

The boys soon made sure the balloon would never fly away again.

Dylan found a new alternative to balls.

Jake and Diesel did their full effect play fighting for the first time in two weeks.

They click their teeth,pull faces and grunt like pigs when they play.

Dylan,one for the ladies,you know who you are.

The boys had a swim to clean off the mud before they went home.

Jessie, you can always sell any dream to Taffy

2007-09-01T20:55:00.000+01:00

On Saturday Taffy found a new girlfriend.

Taffy has just had his first birthday but he is clearly developing an eye for the ladies.

Jessie is a very pretty seven month old boxer/lurcher cross.

Diesel has met her before but Anthony could only remember her owner.

Usually he remembers the dogs not the owners.

Jessie was a little too friendly for Diesel's liking.

Lilly and Sally soon turned up and Lilly taught everyone who was boss.

Park royalty Sue and Erin decided they did not wish to mix with the mob.

The woods are a bit more interesting than the park.

Diesel made sure everyone knew where the rabbits were.

Lilly had trouble getting out of the lake.

She is not as young as she thinks she is.

Lilly is a water spaniel/collie cross.

Diesel weighs 70 lbs (32 kg).

That is a lot for a vizsla.

But Diesel is a lot bigger than most vizslak.

Today Diesel adopted a new way of stalking squirrels.

First he curled his lip (I wonder where he got that idea from?) and pointed.

Then he put his head up high.

Finally he sneaked up on the squirrel.

He never caught it though.

Does Diesel look too fat?

Maybe he is too thin?

Vote in the poll on the right.

Diesel met Bonney again today,he likes her a lot.

She is a lot like him,she likes dogs to respect her space.

Mustang Sally

2007-09-01T02:00:00.000+01:00

Friday was grey and wet.

Diesel was golden and wet.

Anthony was just wet.

Diesel points and stalks whenever he can smell a rabbit.

This however is not a rabbit.

Rosie is a four month old cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Diesel seemed to like Rosie but then she started to sniff him.

He was not happy about that but behaved very well.

Ella has had her hair cut.

Now she has a mini coat to show off her legs.

This is Leon on his first visit to the park.

He is a five month old weimaraner.

Diesel really liked Leon,almost as much as he likes Oliver.

Jesse and Chester soon arrived.

Followed by Lilly and Sally.

Diesel tells Chester off when he sniffs him.

Sometimes Diesel growls a warning at him first.

Chester is deaf and cannot hear him.

Today Chester remembered who Diesel was and they were both very good.

Lilly and Diesel both know who has the best treats.

Lilly,Diesel and Sally are waiting to cross the road.

Diesel's hair is growing back after his operation.

Life is just a blur for Diesel and Sally.

Sally only plays with Diesel when no other dogs are watching.

My name is Prince and I am funky!

2007-08-31T00:18:00.000+01:00

Diesel's stitches were removed on wednesday evening.

Thursday was his first chance to play in twelve days!

But not many of his usual playmates were in the park.

Alfie and Dash are young miniature dashunds.

Diesel used to like them a lot when they were younger.

But now they are older and like to sniff him.

Diesel does not like that at all.

This is Alfie,he has Diesel's colour and his frown,even his ears fold back the same way.

Dash looks more like a mini Doberman than a mini vizsla.

Diesel once expressed his displeasure when Dash sniffed him.

Which is why Diesel is wearing his spray collar.

The boys are looking a little tired.

Diesel is a lot bigger than dash.

Diesel met Erin and Sue just as Dash and Alfie were leaving.

He would like to play with them but they usually chase him away.

Diesel rather likes being chased by girls.

Note the couple in the background,they walk around the park nearly every day.

Note also the lack of a barrier between the park and a dual carriageway.

Lilly can't play much as she is twelve years old but she would if she could.

Lilly and Sally are often followed by their stalker Paul.

Sally looks like a puppy but is seven years old.

She used to only play chase for a few seconds.

But today she played with Diesel a lot.

Even with the ladies present,Diesel is pointing out the rabbits.

What is this?

Anthony won't let Diesel swim yet but he can have a paddle.

This handsome young collie is Prince.

Diesel played with him a lot when they first met.

Until Prince got too friendly and Diesel told him off.

Now Prince is number one on Diesel's "Don't sniff me!" list.

He is a very nice dog but doesn't seem to understand what a growl means.

Prince has just recovered from a broken leg.

But Diesel did not do that.

Oh,oobee doo.I wanna be like you!

2007-08-20T20:33:00.000+01:00

Monday was Diesel first walk since his operation.

He had to stay on the lead and was not allowed to play.

He was not very happy about that because a lot of his best friends were in the park.

First he met Lilly and Sally.

Then they met Taffy.

Who was with Fudge.

Jake and Dylan were with them too.

Fudge,incoming!

Then Diva and Lord Layland Patrick Rocco Bond (The First) arrived.

This is Fudge with Layland,this is also the first time Layland had met the boys.

Dylan had other things on his mind as usual.

Layland is very good when he wants a biscuit.

Diesel could not get off his lead to play.

So he barked instead which he doesn't usually do.

This is the first time they had met this young Rhodesian ridgeback bitch.

Maybe she was a black nosed vizsla?

Anthony tried hard not to ask when her ridge grows out.

Fudge likes the water but does not swim yet.

Diva,Taffy and Oliver only go this deep too.

Will Fudge be the first to swim?

Diva,Layland and Jake.

Jake,Dylan,Fudge,Layland and Diva.

How did Layland learn how to get biscuits?

Jake gives the youngster expert tuition.

I wanna be like you.

I wanna walk like you.

Talk like you, too.

Diesel,Diva,Jake and Layland want a biscuit.

Dylan just wants someone to throw his ball.

Anthony exorcises Layland's demons.

Diesel is past help.

Layland really wants to be like Fudge.

Dylan really wants that ball.

But he is too much of a gentleman to take it off Diva.

Oliver,Diesel's most favourite best friend joins the party.

But Diesel still can't play.

When there is no lake to retreive from,Dylan improvises.

This is Pongo who is very sweet,despite his name.

Diesel has only met Pongo a few times but he likes him a lot.

Dr.Feelgood

2007-08-19T16:27:00.000+01:00

Diesel came home from the vets on Sunday.

He is sleeping off his anaesthetic.

The vet has cut away the strip of skin that was hanging off.

Diesel has never been so quiet.

He is working on his "sympathy" face.

If you want blood.You got it!

2007-08-18T18:46:00.002+01:00

Today is Saturday.

Diesel is not at home.

He will not be home again until tomorrow.

This is the first time in nearly six months that Diesel has not spent all day with Anthony.

Today Diesel went for his walk in the park as usual.

He met his friend Taffy.

Then he met Dingo (also known as Brandy).

Diesel was with Dingo for over an hour.

He has met her many times before.

But today Dingo bit him as he ran past.

He will be at the vets until he is patched up.

Diesel in the rain.

Diesel spots something.

It's Taffy!

Diesel points just to make sure we can see the big orange ball.

Taffy poses inbetween showing Diesel how to fetch.

Taffy,wet and handsome,no wonder Sally fancies him.

Taffy about to go home "voluntarily".

This is Brandy,also known as Dingo.

Anthony and Diesel both thought Dingo was a friendly dog until today.

Diesel does his best puppy face.

He used to frown all the time but now he does not do it often.

This is the last picture of Diesel's left side before Dingo ripped it open an hour later.

Dancing on a Friday night

2007-08-17T00:42:00.000+01:00

On Friday Diesel Met Dylan and Jake and then they met Taffy.

Diesel found a dog bowl in the park.

Diesel and Jake did a lot of this.

Then they did some more.

And they call it collie love

2007-08-16T00:44:00.000+01:00

Diesel,Dylan,Jake and Taffy met up again on Friday.

Taffy does not know how to swim.

Rather,he knows how to swim but does not know he knows.

Taffy has only ever swum in an emergency.

Diesel and Jake do this rather a lot now.

This stick was probably meant for Taffy.

The boys decided to give Taffy a swimming lesson.

Taffy likes playing in the water but he did not want to swim.

Diesel likes the water too.

Sally decided Taffy was her new boyfriend.

Taffy did not seem to feel the same way.

Lilly had seen it all before.

When Diesel had a training session,Jake and Taffy joined in.

This bitch is called Lucky,she has a lot of scars.

Her house mate had attacked her.

Diesel likes to point.

But he needs to work on the tail.

Jake plays with Diesel almost as much as Oliver now.

It always looks savage when they play.

They grunt like pigs.

Dylan has other interests.

Diesel and Jake would rather do this.

Unless they are doing this.

Sometimes they do this for a change.

Diesel thinks Jake has personal hygiene issues.

Back to the lake for a drink.

This is Mac,he is a new boy in the park.

This is Bo,she is a five month old boxer bitch,Diesel met her when she was very young.

Bo would like to play with Diesel and he would like to play with her.

Bo is not allowed off her lead to play.

Go home!

2007-08-14T18:02:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday Diesel met his old friend Taffy.

Then they were joined by Dylan and Jake.

Dylan and Taffy both like chasing balls.

Taffy liked playing with his friends so much he did not want to go home.

He was put on his lead,when he was eventually caught.

Dylan will do anything to find a ball.

He has the thousand yard stare of a fetch addict.

The boys stayed still for minutes for this photograph.

Jake stayed so still that there was not even a ripple in the water.

Who says black dogs can't point?

It is not often that Diesel beats Dylan to a ball.

Just before Dylan and Jake went home they met little Millie again.

Then it started to rain heavily.

Diesel thought he could sneak up on some ducks in the lake.

Millie was already very wet from the rain.

When she saw Diesel swimming,she decided to try it herself.

This is her very first swim!

Go West! Baby you and me

2007-08-14T00:27:00.000+01:00

Diesel,Dylan and Jake were in the park again on Monday.

As they had been on Sunday.

In fact they are there on most days.

Today they met a pretty young girl called Millie.

Millie seemed to like the boys and they liked her.

Millie is a four month old West Highland terrier.

Diesel liked playing with Millie.

At least until Ollie turned up.

Then he remembered that he had some boy stuff to do.

Oliver!Oliver!

2007-08-12T03:27:00.000+01:00

Saturday was a fine summer day.

Diesel met a pretty lurcher bitch called Gypsy.

She used to be a real Gypsy dog.

Then he met his best friend Oliver.

This is Diesel and Oliver doing what they do best.

Oliver is a two year old neutered Dalmatian.

Oliver is probably Diesel's favourite best friend.

They will do this for hours given the chance.

Oliver likes to play in the water but he can't swim yet.

He does know how to play fight though.

Diesel has been practicing his pointing.

Diva is Diesel's favourite bitch,she is an eighteen month old Weimaraner.

Diesel has not seen her for a long time because of "bitches' problems" whatever they are.

Diva has a new little brother,Lord Layland Patrick Rocco Bond The First.

Layland was returned to his breeder and rehomed,just like Diesel.

He is a lot bigger than he was last time Diesel met him.

Today Diesel met Diva's friend Boy for the first time.

Boy is a two year old neutered weimaraner.

Diesel hopes Diva does not fancy boy as much as she fancies him.

Diesel is wondering if he would look good in silver.

Parklife

2007-08-11T18:53:00.000+01:00

Anthony and Diesel have been home for nearly three weeks now.

Due to technical issues their recent adventures have gone unpublished.

Now thanks to the wonders of new technology we can meet their friends and see what they have been up to.

After two weeks with Rosie and Dylan,Diesel did a lot of this when he got home.

He also did a lot of this.

This is not the sort of bird which is usually seen in the park.

Anthony and Diesel cannot remember the name of this young bitch.

They met her for the first time by the lake.

There is the strange bird again.

This very handsome young Irish setter is called Alf.

Anthony thinks the strange bird is a young Cormorant.

This bird is a lot bigger,it is a Hercules,there are not many of these in the park either.

This is also an unusual sight in the park.

Diesel had to lie down and watch from a distance.

While he did that another Diesel walked by.

This is Alf,he is a Goshawk and better trained than most dogs.

Diesel has never met a Goshawk before.

He was very impressed that Alf had trained Ian to carry him.

This is Jenny,she is also very well trained.

Diesel would like to be able to do the things Jenny can do.

This is Oscar,he is a very young boxer puppy with a full tail.

Diesel likes Oscar a lot and hopes to meet him again soon.

This lovely girl is only six weeks old and a little too young for Diesel to play with.

But he did like playing with her friend Missy,though Anthony forgot to take a picture of her.

This is Binx,he is a big three year old entire Weimaraner who reminds Anthony of a Great White Shark.

Binx was one of the first dogs Diesel met after moving to live with Anthony.

He is very friendly and has the same name as Diesel's dad.

Binx had just cut his paw when this picture was taken.

This very handsome young Jack Russel is another new boy in the park.

He was a little frightened of Diesel who is a lot bigger than him.

Anthony and Diesel could not remember his name,nor that of his friend whom they didn't get a picture of.

Diesel and Binx found a beach in the park and then demonstrated how to conduct a beach assault.

In the interests of scientific investigation Diesel decided to dig his very first hole.

The results of this excavation may explain how the beach appeared in the middle of the park.

Two wheels good,four wheels bad.

It must be Sunday because someone has thrown some nice bones over the fence for Diesel.

Diesel had his usual bath in the lake but that did not stop some mad women treating him like a girly dog when he got home.

Anthony promised to buy them a My Little Pony set if they leave his rufty tufty dog alone.

This is the lovely Millie,one of the first entries in Diesel's little black book.

Millie was a lot smaller when Diesel first met her.

This is Chester who lives with a Jack Russel called Jessie.

Diesel is practicing staying and lying down on a hand signal while Anthony runs as far away as he can.

Here Diesel is practicing his pointing,he can hold a point for over a minute now.

This lovely girl has been walking in the park for a lot longer than Diesel.

She is not comfortable with other dogs but Diesel is working his charms on her.

He hopes he will be able to play with her off lead one day.

Diesel and one of his best friends Jake practice sitting and staying.

Then they practice play fighting which is a lot more fun.

Jake has taught Diesel how to grunt like a pig when he play fights.

This is Dylan,he is Jake's brother (sort of) but he would rather play with balls than dogs.

In the park,Jake only does this with Diesel.

Diesel spent many weeks trying to get Jake to play with him.

This is the lovely Coco.

Coco nearly came to live with Diesel as her family were emigrating.

But now Coco is going to emigrate too.

Coco and her family are leaving the park for the last time before they go to Cyprus.

Diesel will never see Coco again which is a shame because he liked her a lot.

Diesel's friend Fudge is a big Weimaraner who was neutered a week after Diesel.

He is the first dog in the park who Diesel gave a telling off to when he got a bit too friendly.

Diesel likes to pose for the camera.

Here Fudge and Diesel are doing some distraction training.

Diesel shares a drink with George.

He is not called Gorgeous George for nothing.

This is Arthur the border terrier with Diesel and Fudge in the background.

There is a video of Arthur playing with Diesel at http://www.vizslak.piczo.com/.

Brandy is a ridgeback cross.

She is a nice old girl who likes to let the youngsters know who is boss.

All the usual suspects.

Diesel,Jake,Taffy and Dylan want to play.

Their owners want to stay under the trees.

The weatherman says this is a hot sunny day.

But the sun is very wet today and they have not brought their coats.

Taffy is a handsome young border collie from Wales.

He is one of Diesel's best friends and Diesel is trying hard to remember it is Taffy's first birthday soon.

Jessie is a long haired Jack Russel bitch whom Diesel adores.

She lives with a cocker spaniel called Chester.

Recently Jessie had puppies and some of them walk in the park though Diesel has not met them yet.

In the background here is Sally,she likes to herd Jessie and have five second chases with Diesel.

Sally lives with Lilly who is too old for that sort of thing.

Home sweet home

2007-07-23T22:16:00.001+01:00

On Monday,Anthony,Diesel,Rosie and Dylan went on their last walk before Anthony and Diesel had to go home.
It rained and they got wet.
They walked around the fields for two hours and met nobody.
Not even a pheasant.
Then Anthony and Diesel returned home and went for a walk in their local park.
Diesel looked very tired after two weeks with Rosie and Dylan.
But Anthony was very pleased that his dog was back to his old quiet obedient self.
He had never been quiet as sharp when there were two russet gold distractions about.
Both of them had an early night,they had lots of old friends to meet tomorrow.

Sex and drugs and funk and soul

2007-07-23T00:30:00.000+01:00

It's cold outside,there's no kind of atmosphere.
Diesel,Rosie and Dylan are getting very confused.
Siobhan has come for a walk with them and they do not seem to know who they should pay attention to.
Anthony is not very happy that they were not doing as they were told.
Especially after he had been telling everyone how good they had been for him.
It was Sunday and their last full day together.
To the river,and beyond.
They were going to follow the same route they had taken on Thursday.
At least some of it.
Only in reverse and avoiding the crazy horses this time.
Or at least not telling Siobhan about them.
But horses were not the only danger lurking in the countryside that day.
They came to the end of a footpath,"Smegging hell!" they should have said but never thought of it at the time.
"Hello" they really did say to the notorious scouse criminal and comedic actor they had nearly bumped into (whose name we shall not List 'ere).
Disappointed that he was behaving in a manner neither notorious,criminal nor comedic,they went on their way.
At this point it should be noted that while meeting celebrities may be an everyday event for some vizslak,out here meeting another human being is a rare event.
They were nearing the field full of dangerous wild horses,or at least that is what Anthony told Siobhan.
Only after they had entered the field of course.
In fact the horses in this field had been quite friendly on Thursday.
But they were not in this field today.
Another horse was,it did not look so friendly.
They were half way between the stile they had come in to the field through and the one they needed to get out of.
There was an impenetrable hedge to their right and a restless horse to their left,as close to them as they were to the exit.
The horse started to run.
Unfortunately it was not running towards them but Anthony was sure Siobhan would not let that detail trouble her.
He called the dogs and ran for the exit,they got over the stile and waited for Siobhan.
She was rather flustered when she caught up with them.
So Anthony told her they could avoid going back through the horse's field if they went through the next field full of bulls instead.
He was rather disappointed when they found there were no longer any cows in the next field.
There was however a set of horse jumps which they quickly modified to serve as dog jumps by the addition of three vizslak.
Diesel,Rosie and Dylan were rather good at jumping over these but were not so keen on the long dark tunnel running through them.
The next field was full of wheat and at least one pheasant which the dogs quickly flushed.
Excited by their discovery they went hunting for more birds,jumping like kangaroos to get their bearings.
Soon they were over the stile into a corn field,a hare ran for cover,Diesel and Dylan ranged far and wide and Rosie....
Where was Rosie?
It was not like her to dissappear.
Unless she had been frightened by the aircraft passing overhead.
In which case she would be hiding and there would be no chance of finding her in such a large field of corn.
They called,then they whistled,then they called some more.
No Rosie.
Anthony and Siobhan started to look for her.
Minutes passed,still no Rosie.
Then a flash of russet gold on the other side of a hedge.
Far in the distance hares were still running as fast as their legs would carry them.
An exhausted Rosie found her way back into the field.
Time to get the dogs together and move on.
Diesel was jumping through the corn at the far end of the field.
Dylan was doing the same at the far side.
Or he was last time they had seen him.
Now he was gone.
Not again.
Eventually Big D,or Medium D After two weeks with Anthony,made an appearance at the far side of the field and rushed back to them.
Time to put the dogs on the leads until they were well away from any more hares.
They passed through some of the most beautiful countryside imaginable.
But sadly what potentially dangerous beasts they happenned upon failed to show the slightest interest in them.
The place they called Dog Heaven was on their route and they walked through it until Siobhan's wellingtons stopped play.
Their return journey was uneventful and Anthony could take no more pictures in the failing light.
It would be a long time before Diesel could go on another such adventure with Rosie and Dylan.

I can't stand the rain

2007-07-23T00:29:00.000+01:00

On Saturday Anthony took Diesel,Rosie and Dylan for a walk in the rain.

Not that there was much choice about that.

Unless they stayed in of course.

Anthony wore waterproofs.

Not because he was a girly man who could not handle the rain.

But because his big sister said so.

On the way to the fields it rained.

Anthony let the dogs run through the grass looking for pheasants.

The rain continued.

They walked around in circles.

It still rained.

Then they walked in straight lines.

The rain did not stop.

Nobody really knows what they did then.

But they do remember that is continued to rain.

There was so much rain that Anthony could not take any more photographs.

He could have bought a waterproof diving cover for his camera.

But he did not think he would need that in a field in Cheshire.

After two hours they walked home.

In the rain.

At least Anthony was still dry.

Except for his feet.

But he decided not to mention that.

He would not look good in wellingtons.

It's raining water!

2007-07-23T00:28:00.001+01:00

Friday was Anthony,Diesel,Rosie and Dylan's last day alone together.

It was raining heavily.

They headed back to the river.

But this time they didn't bother with the beyond.

The sky was so dark and the air so wet that Anthony could not take many photographs.

They were all used to heavy rain but today it was so bad that they sought shelter under a tree.

Steam rose from the dogs.

When the rain eased a little they got moving again.

One of their favourite spots was just ahead.

Time to visit dog Heaven.

Diesel,Rosie and Dylan ran through the trees trying to catch squirrels.

Anthony kept a close eye on them.

He kept his other eye on his watch.

Rosie and Dylan's family would be flying home tonight,he did not want to be late back.

Then something very strange happened.

A man approached.

He had a dog with him.

They had met men with dogs thousands of times before,but never out here.

The dog was very handsome,he looked like an English sheepdog cross.

His name was as foreign as his owner.

He looked a little overwhelmed by the sight of three wet vizslak.

Further on the came to the top of a tall steep bank in the woods.

Perfect for throwing sticks down.

Rosie was desparate,she had not fetched anything in over a week.

She was going cold turkey.

Soon she was showing the boys how it was done.

Then another strange thing happened.

A woman approached with a dog.

They had met women with dogs a thousand times before,but never out here.

Max was a big gentle Weimaraner.

The dogs all had Weimaraner friends and they soon took to Max.

Diesel,in particular,decided he had a new playmate.

The rain was much gentler now so they forsook the cover of the woods and headed back to the river.

Chase the Weimaraner was their new game and big Max was a lot faster than he looked.

Rosie and Dylan had a swim in the river,they could hardly get any wetter than they were already.

Soon Max had to go home,they escorted him back through the woods and started to take the road home themselves.

But that did not last long.

A stile leading to a field was just too tempting.

They would take the long way home.

Who could resist walking back through the same mud they had gone through earlier.

When they finally got home a hungry cat appeared as they dried themselves off.

Time for Tiggy and Diesel to get to know eachother again.

Diesel likes cats but they do not neccessarily feel the same way about him.

Tiggy is not very keen on dogs but he tolerates them as long as they behave themselves.

He was not best pleased when Diesel tried to share his meal while he was still eating it.

Anthony told Diesel to sit and wait next to Tiggy while the cat had his dinner.

Tiggy was hungry but so was Diesel.

Diesel sat quietly for a while.

Then he cried for share of the food.

Finally he hatched a cunning plan.

"Woof!".

Tiggy jumped.

Diesel dashed forward.

The food was his.

His bark had so startled the cat that it had leapt a few feet away.

Just far enough for Diesel to get the food without fear of retribution.

Anthony was pleased that Diesel would rather eat the food than the cat.

Crazy horses,waaaa,waaaa!

2007-07-23T00:28:00.000+01:00

Thursday's blog!

God damn the weatherman

2007-07-18T19:11:00.000+01:00

Today there was thunder,lightening and heavy rain.

At least there was in the imagination of a meteorologist.

In the real world it was a fine summer's day.

Anthony wished he had not worn his coat.

No sooner had Anthony,Diesel,Rosie and Dylan left the house than their first problem arose.

Akita san was walking down their street only fifty yards ahead.

Catching up with him was in nobody's best interests,not least it's owner's stress levels.

They turned about.

Then turned about again.

Then they turned about a third time.

Practicing walking to heel off the lead would let the akita get a good distance ahead.

By the time they got to the end of the street the akita was nowhere to be seen.

He would be walking around the fields for a while and with the high hedges there would be no way to avoid bumping into him.

They decided to take a detour.

Just around the corner were fields full of sheep,time for some sheep training.

The first field was empty today,the dogs could have a play.

Anthony could run them through their drills.

Heeling,sitting,staying,waiting,lying and most of all coming.

He wanted to have them sharp with sheep around and they were.

The next field was empty too,and the next,they were in luck today.

The finest English countryside,just as it had been for hundreds of years,bathed in the glow of a summer sun and they had it all to themselves.

They found a pond,there could not have been a finer place for the dogs to swim.

Diesel,Rosie and Dylan fetched sticks and chased scents,oblivious to the sheep in the next field.

Anthony kept a close eye on them,recalling them to keep them close and sharp.

Then he saw something,a sheep,freshly sheared and in their field,not forty yards away.

He called the dogs,they came right away showing no interest in their woolly visitor.

While Anthony decided what to do they sat at his feet.

Rosie and Dylan were used to walking offlead with sheep,Diesel was green but he had been very good in basic training.

Over by the fence the sheep was wary of coming closer.

There was a gap in the fence,no gate,that is how it had gotten in.

The sheep had not been moved to the other fields,they were free to wander where they pleased.

A rustle of barbed wire and the problem was solved,the sheep had gone through the fence.

They could relax.

But then Anthony saw something behind them.

Now they were outflanked,a crack platoon sheep was taking up position by the tree line.

Outnumbered,outflanked,in the open and in hostile terrain without any hope of backup,they had no choice.

It was time to make tactical withdrawal,no surrender and no vizsla left behind.

"Come!","Heel!" at the rush they headed for cover,the training was paying off.

Using the concealment and protection of the terrain they made it over the skyline and down the reverse slope of the hill.

It was no good trying to regroup,they had never ungrouped,so they headed for the safety of the stile.

Training had got them through but it was close,next time they might not make it,time for a group photo just in case.

Of vizslak and men

2007-07-17T23:26:00.000+01:00

Anthony had a plan.

Sixty pounds of dog meat was due to be delivered.

He had to take the dogs out before it arrived and then go to the vets afterwards.

Just as they prepared to go out,fate intervened.

A thunder storm.

Rosie was not very keen on walking in thunderstorms.

He improvised,vets first,back for the delivery and then walk the dogs.

Part one of the plan went without a hitch.

Part two was more troublesome.

The delivery was late,late enough for the Diesel,Rosie and Dylan to have had a good walk while they waited.

The dogs were getting restless.

They ran out to the garden to play.

Three dogs trying to get through a gap an inch too narrow for them.

Bang.

No broken glass.

The dogs seemed fine.

The glass door did not.

An hours work made no difference,the door was too big to be safely removed and fixed by one man.

One phone call and help was on the way.

But they had just over an hour before it arrived.

The shortest dog walk they had ever had with Anthony.

Short even when compared to young Diesel's two hour walks.

Let alone the eight hour megawalks Rosie and Dylan were used to getting when Anthony came to visit.Never in the history of vizslak had Anthony walked Rosie and Dylan for less than three hours.Out quickly,run around the fields,take a few photos and then go home.

What kind of walk was that?

At least it was warm and sunny for a change.

Surely Anthony would take the dogs for a proper walk soon,at least when they had gotten through those sixty pounds of meat.

We're walking in sunshine

2007-07-17T00:56:00.000+01:00

Monday was sunny,at least it was when it was not raining.
Sunny enough for Anthony to go out without a coat.
Which was a problem when it started to rain.
He did not mind getting wet but he did not want his camera to drown.
Rosie and Dylan did not think a camera could drown.
Diesel,who could still remember his swimming lessons,knew better.
Today our intrepid heroes were feeling neither intrepid nor heroic.
They had quite enough of that yesterday.
On the way to their usual walking fields they met some children.
Rosie and Dylan are like meeting children,they used to play with the children in their old street.
But here they hardly meet anyone let alone children.
They never met anyone in the fields today,not even a pheasant.
But they did find another dead animal.
There seem to be a lot of them here,this one looked like a mouse.
Anthony made them practice their commands,they like to do that because they get treats when they do well.
Diesel,Rosie and Dylan got a lot of treats today.
They also had a swim in their secret swimming spot before going home.
In their garden they found a small dead bird,Anthony does not know what kind it is as they don't have birds like that where he lives.
The bird did not have any sign of injuries,at least until Diesel stood on it.
It would have been hard for a dog to catch such a small bird and kill it without leaving a mark.
A cat would probably have carried the bird away and it would have left it's mark on the bird too.
It was a mystery.
To solve it they must eliminate all possibilities to find the solution.
But long before they could do that Diesel,Rosie and Dylan were sound asleep.

Mud glorious mud

2007-07-15T23:45:00.000+01:00

Today was Sunday but there was no sun today.

Given the choice of going out in the rain or going out in the rain,today Anthony,Diesel,Rosie and Dylan decided to go out in the rain.

Long wet grass is wetter than water itself so Anthony decided that today they would avoid their usual walking areas and go somewhere new.

Yesterday they found a dead sheep in a field today they found a squirrel on the ground in the woods.

It was not dead but it was not running away,the dogs showed no interest in it but Anthony thinks the dogs they had seen a moment earlier may have been more interested.

They left it there in the hope it would recover.

For half a mile the three dogs practiced walking to heel off the lead and then they practiced walking to heel on the lead for a mile.

Before running free they had to sit still and wait untill they were told to get over the stile.

Until now Anthony had stayed nice and dry but he knew that would not last when he saw how overgrown the path was.

Not many people seem to use these footpaths but than not many could get past all the fallen trees.

Those that get past the trees then have to get past the mud.

But those who get past the mud and take a little use path find a piece of dog heaven on earth.

Thick woods,ponds,deep ravines with streams at the bottom and hares runing through the undergrowth.

Best of all it is big enough to spend hours exploring and few people venture there.

Following the paths home led Anthony,Diesel,Rosie and Dylan on more adventures.

Their route took them through fields full of swallows which they had fun trying to catch.

Then they came across an obstacle,a field full of cows.

Only these cows were not just cows,some were bullocks.

As they stood at the stile,the cows approached and soon they had thirty big beasts barging towards them.

Anthony had to clear a path to get the dogs over the stile.

He climbed over and told the cows to move on.

They did.

Except for one.

Anthony looked it in the eye from three feet away.

It was very big and very black and very definitely not a cow.

Nor did it look like the bullocks.

But it did look like a bull.

Anthony decided that it was not a good idea to try moving a bull which was quite happy where it was.

He exited the field.

Not all cattle like dogs.

Lifting the dogs over the stile one by one would not be good situation to be in if the bull was unfriendly.

They took another route through an empty field,lifting one hundred and seventy pounds of muddy vizslak over a high,wet,wooden stile was not easy but they eventually they were past the cattle.

On the way down a quiet country lane they practised their emergency drills in case of a car.

Getting to the side off the road and staying at the sit as quickly as possible.

Diesel,Rosie and Dylan did very well.

They took a shortcut home,avoiding a field with a horse which definitely did not like dogs.

Anthony had gotten Rosie and Dylan accross this field before,getting them over the stile just before the charging horse reached them,he did not think he could do it with three dogs,a wet stile and a muddy field.

Discretion is the better part of valour.

Checking on the squirrel they had found earlier was their last mission of the day.

It was dead,which was just how they felt.

Soaked through and covered in mud they made their way home.

Diesel loves pussy

2007-07-14T20:31:00.000+01:00

After raining all day on Friday,Saturday was bright and sunny.
Tiggy lives with Rosie and Dylan,Tiggy is a cat.
Diesel is not used to cats,although he meets some when he is going for his walks.
Today Diesel was introduced to Tiggy.
They were both very good and within a minute they were very close to eachother.
Dylan used to chase cats before he came to live with Rosie and Tiggy,it took a lot longer before Tiggy wanted to be close to him.
Anthony found a good leather football in a field today.
Diesel,Rosie and Dylan took it home after they had made sure it was dead.
The dogs were very good and sat still off the lead in the field full of sheep.
Rosie and Dylan are used to walking with sheep but Diesel is not and Anthony was very pleased that he was not interested in them.
Getting three dogs over the stiles between the fields is difficult so today Diesel,Rosie and Dylan learned how to sit and wait for their turn to jump over the stile.
They did very well for their first attempt but they will need a little more practice.

We're swimming in the rain

2007-07-13T20:02:00.000+01:00

Today was Friday the thirteenth,it was unlucky for some.

It rained all morning and then it rained in the afternoon.

But it did not rain all day,sometimes it poured instead.

Anthony does not mind the rain,if the dogs are happy,he is happy.

Diesel and Dylan do not mind the rain either.

But Rosie does not like the rain,especially when there are loud noises that sound like thunder.

Diesel,Rosie and Dylan all sat and waited for the "Get on!" command after having their leads taken off,Anthony was very pleased about that.

Then they flushed a big cock pheasant,the only one they saw all day,then they all heeded their recall,Anthony was even more pleased about that.

The dogs were very wet so Anthony took them swimming in the rain.

They could not get any more wet and neither could he.

Maybe waterproofs are not for wimps after all.

Diesel's going on a summer holiday

2007-07-12T18:44:00.000+01:00

Diesel is on holiday in the country with his "cousins" Rosie and Dylan.
Rosie and Dylan used to be Manchester dogs but now they have joined the Cheshire set.
Diesel used to live in the country but now he lives in a town.
The parks here are not like the park Diesel is used to.
Whoever cuts the grass here must be on holiday too.
When the grass is taller than you are it is a lot harder to run through and grass seed gets in your eyes.
Rosie and Dylan are used to flushing pheasants but Diesel doesn't often get the chance where he lives (though he has once).
Here there are a lot more pheasants hiding in the long grass.
Anthony makes Diesel,Rosie and Dylan sit and wait before they are allowed to flush pheasants.
He says it teaches them self control,they think he just likes to take photographs of them sitting together.
On Tuesday Diesel was pointing when Anthony told him to sit down with Rosie and Dylan so they could be taken off their leads.
Diesel was still pointing when Anthony was taking photographs of them sitting and waiting for the "Get on!" command.
When he was allowed to go,Diesel flushed a big pheasant only ten yards away from where he had been sitting.
Then he went back to Anthony when he was called,Rosie and Dylan don't always do that when they are hunting for pheasants.
Anthony was very proud of his big dog.
After flushing pheasants Anthony took Diesel,Rosie and Dylan to see some sheep.
They had to stay on the lead which was not much fun for them and Anthony did not enjoy getting three dogs on their leads over the stiles.
but they did meet two German shepherd dogs who were also doing some training.
The dogs were very good with the sheep,even when they were very close and when they started running.
After climbing over a tree which had fallen on a bridge Anthony let them off the lead to play in an empty field well away from the sheep.
On Wednesday Anthony,Diesel,Rosie and Dylan heard a commotion while at their secret swimming spot.
There was a lot of shouting and the dogs went to see what was going on.
Anthony called them back and Diesel and Rosie came back but Dylan did not.
He was busy barking at a big Japanese akita,who did not look very friendly,when Anthony found him.
Anthony was not very happy that Dylan did not come when he was called but the akita's owner had gotten hold of his dog before there was a fight.
It was his shouting they had heard,he knew there was going to be trouble when he saw his dog running away and had chased after him.
Later Anthony,Diesel,Rosie and Dylan met the German shepherds they had seen the day before (they do not meet many dogs out in the countryside).
The big dog was called Szandor and the small one was a puppy called Check,they were owned by a dog trainer.
Szandor is Dylan's proper name and he was most put out that he was not the only one,it is bad enough that there are lots of Dylans (and Rosies and Diesels too).
Thursday was not a very nice day,it rained a little,the dogs were tired.
They heard a lot of barking on the other side of a hedge then a big German Shepherd with a muzzle ran through a gap in the hedge and towards the dogs.
It did not seem to be aggressive and all of the dogs came to Anthony when he called them.
Later they all met the Japanese akita again,it's owner holds onto it with both arms when he sees another dog.
On the way down their new street Rosie and Dylan saw a farmer shearing sheep.
They never used to see that in Manchester.
One day Diesel,Rosie and Dylan will be as good with sheep as the farmer's collie.

Welcome to Diesel dog's blog

2007-07-09T20:14:00.000+01:00

This blog is about a dog called Diesel.
Diesel is a fourteen month old Hungarian Vizsla.
He lives with his owner Anthony and his family in St.Helens.
Diesel has lived in a lot of places,he had two other owners before Anthony became his permanent owner.
When his first owner did not want him he went back to live with his dog family.
He did very well in a dog show when he was there.
Then he went to live with his second owner.
But they did not want to keep him and he went to stay with a nice lady,her four vizslak and her family until one day Anthony came to see him with Rosie and Dylan.
Rosie and Dylan are vizslak too and they liked Diesel as much as Diesel liked them.
One week later Diesel went to live with Anthony and his family and he has been there since.
Diesel was ten months old,very tall and handsome but also a naughty boy.
Now Diesel is fourteen months old and he is a very good boy.
Anthony thinks Diesel is the best dog in the world.
But he loves Rosie and Dylan too.
The following is the adventures of Anthony and Diesel.