We had the pleasure of photographing a wedding in Miami last Sunday. The ceremony and reception were held at Signature Gardens. What a beautiful venue. The only problem it was 5 minutes before the ceremony and the Minister had not arrived. So there we were at the absolute last minute trying to borrow an officiant from another wedding in the building but there were none. The guy never did show up and a groomsmen was promoted to officiant for the day. Everything worked out in the end and turned out to be very interesting. The ceremony flew by in about 15 minutes. One really cool thing this was the first wedding we have done with dogs in the wedding party. I really enjoyed that.

Following in Darwin's Footsteps (Kew)

From the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (London) comes a book for children that accompanies their education program, The Great Plant Hunt: following in Darwin’s footsteps. Following in Darwin’s Footsteps is due out in May 2010. The Great Plant Hunt also has a YouTube page, which includes a little song:

Speaking of Darwin and plants, the University of Cambridge has launched a new website, Darwin’s Plants from the Beagle Voyage, where “you can see high resolution images of the very plants collected by Charles Darwin on his round-the-world voyage on HMS Beagle 1831 to 1836.”

Lophosoria quadripinnata, in Chiloé, June 1834

A beagle who looks enchantingly at me with beautiful kohl rimmed eyes, winking in his characteristic way.

Sore triceps the day after training them.

Double digit temperatures, on the plus side of zero, in the last week of November.

posted by Wendy

I made bone shaped pillows to sell at the Dragonfly Marketplace. Of course, I had to pass them by my usual focus group. I think that Daphne at least is sure they are going to be a hit! We will see on the 2nd Sun. in Dec., the 13th, at the The Dragonfly Shops & Gardens in Old Towne Orange.

Here’s the article. (H/T Neil Simpson)

Excerpt:

On one of the Galápagos islands whose finches shaped the theories of a young Charles Darwin, biologists have witnessed that elusive moment when a single species splits in two.

Well, that would be very interesting… if it were true. But whenever I’ve heard these finches mentioned, it turns out that what actually happened is that populations of different kinds of finches increase and decrease in response to changing environmental conditions. No finch’s beak actually changes size! Some finches with beaks more adapted to the environmental conditions survive and leave more offspring than other finches who are not as adapted. When conditions change, the changes in populations reverse themselves and return to equilibrium.

Evolution News explains:

The deeper problem with the Wired Science report is not its perpetuation of the legend of Darwin’s finches, but its false claim that biologists have now “witnessed that elusive moment when a single species splits in two.” This is not what Peter and Rosemary Grant reported in their scientific article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ⁶

According to the Grants, in 1981 they found an unusually large male medium ground finch (scientific name: G. fortis) on the island of Daphne Major that they labeled 5110. They inferred that it had probably immigrated from the nearby island of Santa Cruz—though they could not be certain. For 28 years, the Grants followed all known descendants of this presumed immigrant, and genetic analysis suggested that after 2002 the descendants of 5110 bred only with each other (and were thus “endogamous”). The inbred group had a distinctive song that may have contributed to its reproductive isolation from other medium ground finches that were in the same area (“sympatric”).

But the Grants did not go so far as to label the inbred descendants a new species. “We treat the endogamous group as an incipient species because it has been reproductively isolated from sympatric G. fortis for three generations and possibly longer.” But an “incipient species” is not the same as a new species. In The Origin of Species, Darwin wrote: “According to my view, varieties are species in the process of formation, or are, as I have called them, incipient species.” ⁷ But how can we possibly know whether two varieties (or races) are in the process of becoming separate species? Saint Bernards and Chihuahuas are two varieties that cannot interbreed naturally. The Ainu people of northern Japan and the !Kung of southern Africa are separated not only geographically, linguistically, and culturally, but also (for all practical purposes) reproductively. Are dog breeds and human races therefore “incipient species?”

There’s no way we can know, unless we observe varieties becoming separate species at a future date. Designating two reproductively isolated populations “incipient species” is nothing more than a prediction that speciation will eventually occur. It is a far cry from observing the origin of a new species.

Read the rest here. References to peer-reviewed literature are provided.

Hola!

Como les habia comentado con anterioridad, mi novio y yo tenemos una linda beagle de 9 meses la cual tengo como que fuera una niña y no una perra (gran error que cometi).  En fin, a pesar de tratarla como un humano y no como un perro, ella aún sigue su instinto de Beagle…

En posts antiguos les había contado que a ella no le gusta comer con otros perros al mismo tiempo y en el mismo plato, entonces mi chiquita cuando ve que no hay nadie usando el plato, agarra un poco de concentrado en su boca y lo guarda en donde se le ocurra! A veces vemos el mantel de la mesa de centro todo arrugado o hecho un molote y cuando lo estiramos encontramos pedacitos de concentrado o galleta enmedio…  Constantemente tenemos que revisar los sillones (en las orillas de los sillones) porque ese es otro escondite que tiene…

Los otros perros tienen sus camitas como la de la foto y ella le levanta esa orilla gordita a las camitas y les mete concentrado. Ahora bien, cual es el fin de esconder el concentrado??? Bueno, pues cuando todos estan comiendo del plato, ella busca en sus escondites el concentrado y en lugar de hacer una cola sin fin, come al mismo tiempo que los otros, solo que de su escondite…

Otra experiencia que tuvimos hace poco fue un día que fue (Maggie, la Beagle)  a visitar a mi novio a su casa.  Ella entro corriendo a la cocina y encontró una bolsita con concentrado para el otro perrito, inmediatamente le ofrecieron porque creyeron que iba a querer y ella como queriendo decirles en secreto que no para ahorita sino que para después, empezó a cerrar la bolsa con su hocico (según ella escondiendolo o guardandolo para después).

Nuestra perrita, a pesar de no trabajar como cazadora o escondiendo cosas, sola aprendió a esconder y encontrar cosas como un instinto que trae de su raza.

Nos divertimos mucho viendola correr de un lado a otro buscando lo que ha escondido con anterioridad y rascando (eso no da tanta risa porque arruina los sillones) pero aún así disfrutamos de la infancia de nuestra querida Maggie

Hola!

Pues como les había comentado, mi perrita tenía varios problemas de conducta que al parecer son normales en toooooodo beagle… aún tiene unos problemitas pero son porque la consiento mucho y la trato como humano, no como perrito… en fin, la solución de la mayoría de los problemas y el conocimiento de nuevos problemas de la perrita los encontramos aquí:

http://www.velocidadmaxima.com/forum/showthread.php?t=195182

Claro, en el primer Kinder Canino en Ecoaventura creado por Roberto Araneda (si quieren su teléfono me avisan y se los coloco).

El  curso consiste en dos partes: teórica y práctica.  En la parte teórica le enseña sobre la historia de los animales, los posibles trabajos que puede hacer cada raza o grupo de razas y la evolución de los trabajos y en general de los animales.  En la parte práctica le enseñan a uno a entrenar al perro, es un poco dificil porque hay que ser bastante disciplinado para poder llevar a cabo el entrenamiento.  La técnica: clicker. La técnica es fácil de aprender, no requiere de mucha ciencia pero hay que hacerla de forma correcta, de lo contrario se puede confundir al perro o incluso a otros perros que ya utilicen esta técnica.

Mi perrita aprendió a sentarse, a acudir al llamado (ni siquiera entenía que la llamabamos cuando decíamos su nombre), sabe hacer trucos interesantes y atractivos a la vista jeje… pero también aprendió a identificarse conmigo, aprendió el valor de la salchicha! jajajaja (la salchicha era el premio si realizaba bien el truco)  y aprendió las consecuencias de hacer berrinches (aún no lo ha aprendido al 100%).

Yo como su dueña aprendí que no debo regañarla después de haber hecho la travesura (el perro no es como el humano, no recuerda de las cosas malas que ha hecho y si la regaño creerá que es por algo que hace en el momento), si la voy a regañar entonces no debo decir su nombre, aprendí a enseñarle nombres por medio de indicaciones, aprendí la técnica del clicker (muy útil y sencilla).

Ahora que les hice un pequeño resumen de lo que se aprende en el curso (publicidad), les contaré mis problemas al estarle enseñando a mi perrita:

Normalmente cuando aplicaba lo que nos explicaba el entrenador en mi casa todo salía muy bien, pero al querer enseñarselo en Ecoaventura, todo salía muy mal y no entendía por qué???

Resulta que la perrita hacía todo bien en la casa porque estaba acostumbrada al ambiente, lo hacíamos solas (sin compañía de otro perro) y en la clase (en Ecoaventura) ella quería jugar con todos los demás perritos en lugar de enserñar lo que había practicado… otra cosa era que quería ir a conocer TODO el lugar… su olfato es demasiado desarrollado y sentía olores a distancias muy grandes lo cual no la dejaba concentrarse para seguir con la clase…

En general se distrae por TODO cuando está en un ambiente abierto (jardines, patios, etc) y es muy dificil querer entrenarlos en estos ambientes, lo ideal es empezar en ambientes cerrados y que conozca y luego poco a poco irlos introduciendo a los abiertos para que atienda a las instrucciones en cualquier ambiente.

Si tienen mas dudas pueden preguntarle a su entrenador de confianza o si quieren les dejo el correo de nuestro entrenador Roberto Araneda: kindercanino@gmail.com , si les pregunta quien lo recomendó le dicen que su ex alumna Maggie la Beagle

Saludos y exitos entrenando a su mascota!

Hola de nuevo!

Hoy les hablaré de una raza de la cual no tengo mucha experiencia, pero en los 4 meses que tengo de tener a mi cachorra les puedo contar mi gran cantidad de experiencias que he tenido con ella y lo dificil que ha sido!

Para empezar les contaré desde el momento en que la fuimos a traer…

Entramos al “pet shop”  y nosotros (mi novio y yo) buscamos a la beagle (que el tanto quería) por todos lados y no la mirabamos… según nosotros ibamos por una cachorra de 4 meses… esperabamos ver una bolita de pelos pegados (no nos habíamos informado lo suficiente sobre la raza), y cuando le preguntamos al encargado no nos dijo nada, solo levantó el teléfono y llamó a alguien.  Para mientras, buscabamos a la cachorrita y mi novio se percató que estaban bañando a una perrota en la parte de atrás, era una beagle y el me dijo que deplano era ella…   Yo un poco disgustada porque nos habían mentido en la edad iba a preguntarle al encargado cuando mi novio se fijó que la perrita se había lanzado de donde estaba y se estaba ahorcando (estaba lista para bañarse y la tenían con la correa amarrada a la pared).  El entró corriendo y rescató a nuestra bebe

Al salir del lugar fuimos a comprarle su concentrado, platitos, collar y todos los utencilios… sin imaginarnos que en el camino nuestra querida perrita se haría pipi 7 veces!!! Lo peor fue que lo hizo sobre nosotros porque la llevabamos en las piernas… en ese momento nos dimos cuenta que tenia incontienencia (dicen que es comun en los beagle cachorros), o talvez solo estaba muy nerviosa porque le caimos bien o simplemente nervios…

Al poquito tiempo (aún dentro del carro), cuando agarró confianza, empezó a buscar que mordía y lo primero que encontró fue el freno de mano! :S lastimosamente ya tiene una cicatriz el freno de mano del carro… :S (gracias Maggie) jajaajaj

Luego de llevarla a casa investigamos más y nos dimos cuenta que hay de varios tamaños y la nuestra es algo así como tamaño mediano… es grandota pero aún hay más grandes.

Luego pensamos en dónde iba a dormir la perrita y buscamos una caja y ponchos calientes… la metí a la caja y en menos de dos segundos la perrita ya había saltado fuera de la caja… nunca nos imaginamos que saltara tanto alos 4 meses!!!

En menos de un mes ya tenía la casa de mi novio con su olor (olor a pipi en todas partes), el sin calcetines (los entierra en las macetas). Así que tuvo que trasladarse a mi casa… en mi casa fue casi lo mismo pero con la diferencia que si tenía otros perros con quienes jugar… en menos de una semana ya la había adoptado mi collie… la abrazaba como que fuera su hija, jugaba con ella, en general compartía con otros perritos casi de su mismo tamaño (cocker y french poodle).

Aquí empezaron otros problemas que no habíamos notado y siguieron los que ya habíamos notado:

• Necesitaba correr o en general ejercitarse más de lo que normalmente lo hacen mis otros perros (los french poodle ni hacen ejercicio)
• El plato de comida lo quería para ella y para nadie mas (cosa que jamás había experimentado con los otros perros), ella le pega a los otros si se acercan a comer al mismo plato (desde los 4 meses!!!!).
• Ella hacía cola para comer y tomar agua (cosa que no hacen los otros)
• Sus juegos son demasiado bruscos
• Se roba todo lo que le gusta y se lo come!
• Tenía incontinencia, por lo que se hacía pipi mientras dormía o cuando se relajaba (ya sea en mi cama, en los sillones, en el piso, en donde fuera!)

Aún así la queremos mucho   Ahora tiene 9 meses y ya casi es una señorita

Luego les contaré de la solución que le encontramos a sus problemillas, cómo ha ido evolucionando y su comportamiento con los humanos.

Solo les doy un consejo final: antes de comprar/adoptar/adquirir un perro, investiguen bien de la raza porque es fácil decir “lo quiero”, lo dificil es “lo mantengo y a aguantar todo lo que haga…”

VIVISEZIONE: ALL’ASTA 278 CANI BEAGLE (REGGIO EMILIA).

APPELLO DELLA LAV: NO ALL’ASTA DI ESSERI VIVENTI

La LAV ha chiesto l’annullamento dell’asta giudiziaria che mercoledì 18 novembre vedrà “in palio” ben 278 beagle della famigerata ditta Morini di San Polo d’Enza (Reggio Emilia), storica fornitrice di cani per la sperimentazione, oltre a ratti, cavie e topi.

L’associazione antivivisezionista, preoccupata che all’asta possano aggiudicarsi gli animali i laboratori di sperimentazione animale così come eventuali commercianti, chiede il deciso intervento del Sottosegretario alla Salute Francesca Martini, dell’Assessore regionale alla Sanità Giovanni Bissoni e del Sindaco di San Polo d’Enza. In particolare gli ultimi due per le competenze dell’Asl veterinaria e dell’autorizzazione a fare allevamento per la vivisezione oltre che di organismo per la tutela degli animali, sono coloro che avrebbero potuto prevenire una tale situazione.

Gli animali, in quanto esseri senzienti, non possono essere considerati alla stregua di macchinari o suppellettili con le quali rifondere dei debiti che, comunque, speriamo portino alla chiusura di uno dei più importanti fabbricanti di sofferenza degli animali nel nostro Paese che ancora ad inizio anni ’90, aveva tentato – senza successo – di chiuderci la bocca portandoci in Tribunale poiché avevamo osato svelare al mondo la realtà delle loro attività: una realtà fortemente osteggiata dall’opinione pubblica, dichiaratasi, anche recentemente, contraria  alla sperimentazione animale e in particolare all’utilizzo di cani.

Questa specie, infatti, viene ancora ampiamente utilizzata nei laboratori italiani ed europei per test fortemente invasivi come quelli inerenti alla tossicità, dove vengono avvelenati, ustionati, accecati, mutilati e infine soppressi.

Si vuole anche sottolineare come, nel caso specifico, anche il solo allevamento è da considerarsi maltrattamento, in quanto non vengono rispettate le necessità etologiche e fisiche del cane che prevedono un gruppo sociale e un habitat radicalmente diverso da quello degli stabulari, che prevedono una piccola gabbia illuminata artificialmente.

Ufficio Stampa LAV 06 4461325 – 339 1742586 www.lav.it

Poważnie zastanawiam się nad zakupem Beagle dla mojego dziecka, no i oczywiście dla siebie. Jeszcze nie teraz, bo życie mamy w kawałkach, ale może za rok? Pięciolatek chyba doceni już ciężar obowiązków i radośc zabawy? Będzie też potrzebował przyjaciela a taki psiak to akurat! Zainspirowana błaganiami dziecka, przygodami znajomych i faktem, że będe miała nowy powód do opisywania frustracji na blogu jestem prawie przekonana, że to dobry pomysł. Co Wy na to?

Podobno w 2006 taki psiak uratował właściciela dzwoniąc po pogotowie, cytuję:

In June 2006, a trained Beagle assistance dog was credited with saving the life of its owner after using his owner’s mobile phone to dial an emergency number.

Kto wie, może i on(a) zacznie blogowac?;)

In Nature:

“Global Darwin: Revolutionary road”

James Pusey

Abstract In China, under the threat of Western imperialism, interpretations of Darwin’s ideas paved the way for Marx, Lenin and Mao, argues James Pusey in the third in our series on reactions to evolutionary theory.

[Global Darwin is a series in Nature, see this post for the first two entries]

In the Journal of the History of Biology:

“Darwin’s Sublime”: The Contest Between Reason and Imagination in On the Origin of Species”

Benjamin Sylvester Bradley

Abstract Recent Darwin scholarship has provided grounds for recognising the Origin as a literary as well as a scientific achievement. While Darwin was an acute observer, a gifted experimentalist and indefatigable theorist, this essay argues that it was also crucial to his impact that the Origin transcended the putative divide between the scientific and the literary. Analysis of Darwin’s development as a writer between his journal-keeping on HMS Beagle and his construction of the Origin argues the latter draws on the pattern of the Romantic or Kantian sublime. The Origin repeatedly uses strategies which challenge the natural-theological appeal to the imagination in conceiving nature. Darwin’s sublime coaches the Origin’s readers into a position from which to envision nature that reduces and contains its otherwise overwhelming complexity. As such, it was Darwin’s literary achievement that enabled him to fashion a new ‘habit of looking at things in a given way’ that is the centrepiece of the scientific revolution bearing his name.

In Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A:

“Between the Beagle and the barnacle: Darwin’s microscopy, 1837-1854″

Jardine Boris

Abstract The discovery of a small collection of Darwin manuscripts at the Whipple Museum of the History of Science (University of Cambridge) has allowed a reconsideration of Darwin’s interest in and knowledge of microscopy. Concentrating on the years between his return from the Beagle voyage and the publication of the major taxonomic work on barnacles, this paper recovers a number of important aspects of Darwin’s intellectual and practical development: on returning from the Beagle voyage he acquainted himself with the work of C. G. Ehrenberg, and this informed both his private and public work; then through the 1840s Darwin transformed himself from a fascinated observer and consumer of others’ work into an expert on microscopy. I characterise this move as a piece of clever manoeuvring, and discuss more generally the kind of scientist—gentlemanly and expert—that Darwin was attempting to become.

In Endeavour:

“Savage selection: analogy and elision in On the Origin of Species“

D. Graham Burnett

Abstract Darwin famously built the ground-breaking argument of On the Origin of Species out of an analogy between artificial selection (‘breeding’) and what he called ‘nature’s power of selection’ – or, more famously, ‘natural selection’. For years, historians of science have debated the origins of this analogy and philosophers of science have disputed exactly how well it works. But is Darwin’s argument really an analogy? A closer look at what the world-travelling naturalist of the Beagle has to say about selection among ‘savages’ opens a more complicated story.

In Current Biology:

“Evolutionary history of the Falklands wolf”

Graham J. Slater, Olaf Thalmann, Jennifer A. Leonard, Rena M. Schweizer, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, John P. Pollinger, Nicolas J. Rawlence, Jeremy J. Austin, Alan Cooper and Robert K. Wayne

Abstract After visiting the Falkland Islands during the voyage of the Beagle, Charles Darwin remarked on the surprising presence of a wolf-like canid unique to the islands. One hundred and forty years after its extinction, the evolutionary relationships of this unusual canid remain unresolved. Here, we present a phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear and mtDNA sequence data from the extinct Falklands wolf and find that its closest extant relative is the South American maned wolf. Molecular dating analyses suggest that the Falklands wolf and several extant South American canid lineages likely evolved in North America, prior to the Great American Interchange. The Falklands wolf was the sole representative of a distinct South American canid lineage that survived the end-Pleistocene extinctions on an island refuge.

This is how my garden looked at the beginning of this month… Since then we have had rain, wind, frost and snow is not far ! Now this garden is no longer so colourful but our Autumn has been exceptionally mild and bright.

This image is also my contribution to the “November” challenge Scott Infinitum proposed for the coming month. See the link below please and join us if your wish so !

http://stphoto.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/assignment-4-november/

First Autumn for my beagle Ninio, 6 months old, full of energy and curious about just anything, including maple leaves !

Quero um cachorrooo um beagle, de preferência

Me dáááá!

This website is infinitely better than any shit I’ll ever write.

Se perdió perra de raza BEAGLE en la zona de BOUZAS, en VIGO.

Es tricolor (negra, blanca y marrón). En el lado izquierdo tiene una franja blanca desde la pata al cuello. Lleva  microchip.

Necesita medicación. Se gratificará.

Téléfono: 654 743 821

I quickly see that asking you for directions is the wrong choice. It is raining and I am late and you turn your body as you turn the map in your hands. You tell me I’m not far. Your beagle has the look of an impatient child, sniffing, barking, pecking at my feet. Something about Golders Hill Park makes you happy. You say the words over and over, using you teeth to smile, as though the path I need to take will become clearer with each mention. I ask about gold. You flick your wrist from me to the path.

Last weekend, I had my 6th birthday party!

Of course, my birthday was actually in October but because my human, Paul, was away, we waited until he got back to have the party. And my lovely trainer, Flip, said that I could have my party at his Flip’s Top Dog training centre!

I had invited all my good doggie friends: some old friends that I’ve known for a loooooong time, like George the Bernese Mountain Dog and Lucky Bear the Akita-Rottie-cross…

…some friends that I’ve met through doggie dancing, like Finnegan the Sheltie…

…some friends that I’ve met through Outreach Therapy Pets, like Kira the German Shepherd…

…new friends I’ve met at Agility, like Scarlett the Shepherd… and even friends I’ve made through my blog, like Cinnamon the Beagle and Lexi the Great Dane pup!

I also invited my human friend, Dizzy Mum and her 2 human pups.

They had to leave their own doggies behind when they moved here from Australia and they have been really missing some doggie cuddles -

…so Hsin-Yi said the little Human Girl Pup could pretend I was her dog and handle me in all the party games!

It was very exciting when everyone was arriving…

…getting lots of pats & cuddles…

…and lots of presents!

Then it was time to play party games!

We played some old favourites from Ian Dunbar’s “K9 Games” - such as Musical Sits and Doggie Dash – and my humans also made up some silly ones, like the Egg & Spoon Race and Champagne Agility.

First, we played Musical Sits – which is like the human game of “Musical Chairs” – except when the music stops, us doggies must do a Sit Stay outside the big circle around the chairs before our humans can grab a chair. If we get up, our humans have to get off their chairs to put us back. The slowest dog to Sit will have a human who doesn’t have a chair – that human then has 10 seconds to run around the circle and try to make the other doggies get up: they can jump, whoop, wave their arms, make funny noises – do whatever they like EXCEPT call our names. If no dog gets up after 10s, then that human and their dog is out!

Not only is Musical Sits great fun but it is a great way to practise our Loose-leash Walking and Sit Stays. George was the winner!

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Next, we played the Egg & Spoon Race: this was a relay race with us doggies divided into 2 teams. Each human had to loop their doggie’s leash onto the same hand that was holding the egg & spoon and then run through an obstacle course as fast as they could. Again, this was good practice for making sure us doggies don’t pull on the leash and follow our humans when walking, otherwise they would drop the egg!

I am ashamed to say, however, that my team lost because I was very naughty and when my little Human Girl Pup dropped the egg, I ate it!!!! Hsin-Yi was horrified but everyone else was laughing.

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Next, we played Champagne Agility – this time, the humans had to carry a full glass of pink champagne while running through the obstacle course with us. But we also had to do a Sit Stay at the end of the course, while our humans ran to get a flower lei to put around our necks. This was not a team race – each dog & human pair went alone and we were timed…the pair with the fastest time was the winner. Well, you will never believe it but Kira and Scarlett, the 2 Shepherds, completed the course in exactly the same time: 46 seconds! They had to race each other again – and Scarlett was the winner!

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And the last game – the most exciting of all – was Doggie Dash! For this, we doggies race each other in heats of 2 at a time – we have to do a Sit & Wait at one end of the training centre while our humans walk to the other end of the building and then when they call us, we have to RUN as fast we we can! But when we pass the Finish line, it is the dog that SITS the first that is the winner – so this practises a good, fast Recall and a good Sit under a lot of distractions and excitement! The winners of the heats race each other…until there is only 1 winner left! Kira was the winner!

Well! After all that energy and excitement, it was time for some yummies!

The humans had lots of nibbles and drinks but we doggies had our own special cake! Yup, my human, Hsin-Yi, made me my own ‘peanut butter & banana’ doggie birthday cake with yoghurt & cream cheese frosting, Marmite (Vegemite) icing for my name and bone-shaped cookies as decorations!

It smelled divine!! All us doggies got very excited when they brought it out and couldn’t wait to have a piece. The hardest party game of all was getting all us doggies to sit around the cake and pose for a photo without sneaking a lick!

(Well, little Lexi couldn’t quite resist…but then she is only 4 months old! )

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After that, Paul became the most popular person there when he cut up the cake and went around giving every doggie a piece…

And everyone was shocked to watch Cinnamon eat her cake: how could such a little dog gobble such a big piece of cake so quickly?! My humans had always heard about Beagles and food but this was the first time they had ever seen it in action!

Anyway, there was enough cake to go around and every doggie had seconds…and Cinnamon went around the floor afterwards and made sure that not one crumb was wasted!!

It was a really wonderful party and I had a fantastic time – and I think all my friends did too. Hsin-Yi said  all of us doggies were fantastically well-behaved: although all the dogs knew me, they didn’t all know each other but we were all very sociable and friendly – even when the cake was going round, you can see in the video (below) that we were all sitting politely for a piece. Hsin-Yi was so impressed, especially given how exciting it was with so many dogs together and human pups running around and people shouting and food everywhere…!

Here is a special movie my human, Hsin-Yi, made to show you the highlights of my party – you can see how we played the games and watch Cinnamon’s amazing “Jaws” moment in action! – hope you enjoy it!

Hsin-Yi said she did not put the whole games into the Highlights movie because it might have got too long and boring but if anyone is interested in watching them in full (with original sound), here are the links:

• Musical Sits
• Egg & Spoon Race
• Champagne Agility
• Doggie Dash

I wish all my friends could have been there but I hope this post lets you feel like you have shared in the fun of my party!

ALLGEMEINES ERSCHEINUNGSBILD : Ein robuster, kompakter Hund, vermittelt den Eindruck von Qualität ohne grob zu wirken.

VERHALTEN / CHARAKTER (WESEN) : Ein fröhlicher Hund, dessen wesentliche Bestimmung es ist zu jagen, vornehmlich Hasen, indem er der Fährte folgt, unerschrocken, äusserst lebhaft, mit Zähigkeit und Zielstrebigkeit. Aufgeweckt, intelligent und von ausgeglichenem Wesen. Liebenswürdig und aufgeweckt, ohne Anzeichen von Angriffslust oder Ängstlichkeit.

via Hunderassen Infos Beagle.