Feargal and the Cow Ear
Unca Frankie came home for the long weekend bearing big treats for the puppies: big ol’ cow ears.
Fred Fred and Ferga Dog immediately got down to the hard business of eating theirs up. Feargal Butt had important rituals to perform first, however:
What can I say? Instinct rules.
The Beagle Boys Turn Three Years Old
8-Mar-10: Feargal, Fergus, and Fredrik turn three years old. How time flies!
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The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed.Edit: Here’s the recipe for the cake (I skipped the carob chips and the frostings. They wolfed it down so fast, they didn’t know something was missing):
Banana Carob Chip Dog Birthday Cake
• 2 cups water
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/8 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 Tbs baking powder
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbs honey
• 1/2 cup carob chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)
2. In a mixing bowl combine water, bananas, vanilla, egg and honey.
3. Add whole wheat flour and baking powder. Mix well.
4. Pour mixture into an 8-inch cake pan sprayed with a nonstick spray.
5. Sprinkle carob chips on top.
6. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Decorating suggestion:
Make both the Cinnamon and Carob frostings (below), then ice the cake with one, and use the other as a decorative trim.
Cinnamon Frosting:
1. Combine the following ingredients and blend thoroughly:
• 12 ounces nonfat cream cheese (room temperature)
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp honey
Carob Frosting:
1. Combine the following ingredients and blend thoroughly:
• 12 ounces nonfat cream cheese (room temperature)
• 3 tsp carob
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp honey
Makes One 8-inch cake.
Source: «Dog Treat Recipe Exchange»
Third Birthday Videos
The Beagle Boys turned three years old. Here’s video from all the day’s excitement.
In the first (short) video, Fred Fred runs around after getting his birthday bath:
The second video features the Fergus Dog gets all freaky after being released from his birthday bath:
Now it’s Feargal Butt’s turn to get freaky following his own bath. Meanwhile, I’m exhausted:
The next video is a two-parter and features the boys going berserk outside after the baths are finally done:
Here’s part two of the outside freakiness:
And in the final video of the day, the boys FINALLY get the payoff: their birthday cake (honey-banana) and their birthday Dentabones. Happy birthday boys!
The Howling
Something different I’d never seen before: All three howling at the same time. In fact, I can’t remember Fred howling before at all, but I could be wrong.
The cause of all the ‘citement? A chow-chow dog walked down their street. In front of their house. Shocking! (I don’t think Fergus even knew the puppy was out there. He just joined in for the fun of it.)
Some Snowy Beagle Movies
Some Beagle movies. With whining and snow.
1. Beagles see the snow for the first time.
2. Beagles see something across the street.
New Pics on Flickr!
Finally posted some «*new pics on Flickr*» of the boys. Whatta buncha beagles!
Family Reunion
I know I haven’t posted in awhile, but the latest gallery should make up for it: On 30-Mar, the boys were reunited with their Daddy, Buddy Bear Castro, and their sister, Isabel, and also got to meet their big brother, Bear, from Buddy’s and Ginger’s first litter. We also had the sad occasion to see mama Ginger’s gravesite. Spaghetti was served and a very good time was had by all; thanks to humans Susan and Lisa and the kids.
All the glorious photos are «*here*».
First Night Upstairs
Gosh, where to start?
First, I suppose, is the milestone of sleeping all night with the boys in our room. It’s been very cold recently and last night was supposed to be below freezing. With these tile floors, we decided the boys might get too cold during the night, since we also tend to turn down the heat a bit.
So, we let them run up and down the stairs a bit and go out and potty and snork around the bedroom and then we closed the door and that blew their minds, and then Unca Frankie took his bath which blew their minds, and then we started settling down.
Feargal spent much time wandering back and forth on the bed. He couldn’t get comfy and kept changing positions. Fred curled up on a towel in the floor. Fergus was on the bed at first. Then, gradually, Feargal banished Fergus from the bed, and I followed. I am on five high blood pressure meds and they dry me out terribly, so my snoring is god awful. I started out on the floor next to Fergus, but was getting too loud and ended up taking Fergus and the bedding into our closet.
At 2:45 a.m., Fredrik pooped and pottied on the floor. We cleaned that up and let them go out, then tried it again. Fergus and I went back to the closet, Feargal resumed control of the bed, and Fredrik eventually joined Fergus and I. The rest of the night passed uneventfully.
Feargal woke up Unca Frankie early by sticking his nose in his face and under his arm. Everybody trooped downstairs fairly early and the experiment was over. It was, all-in-all, not a bad first experience. They’ve only spent very short times upstairs, and they were very good, considering. Developmentally, Fred is still not quite there in terms of being able to hold it overnight, but will be soon. He’ll eventually figure out how to scratch at the bedroom door like he does downstairs when he wants out.
In other news, Feargal is into a total dominance kick where Fergus is concerned. There’s growling and bristling and posturing and teeth baring. Fergus doesn’t quite understand what’s going on and sometimes challenges and escalates. Mostly, he puts up with it. We can’t wait for the neutering appointment, which will hopefully put a stop to at least most, if not all, of this nonsense.
The boys have done some damage to the trim molding in the living room which will have to be replaced. So I put up sheets of tileboard to keep them from chewing the walls. It has worked so far. Besides being upset about the destruction, I was also upset to see that the molding in what is supposed to be a half-million-dollar house is … compressed cardboard. No wonder the boys loved chewing it. Unbelievable.
Whole Dog Barkery Goodness
The boys had their first bath the other day at the very wonderful «*Whole Dog Barkery and Paw Spa*», where you can bathe and take care of your pooch, shampoo and towels supplied, for $13. They also have an automatic dryer; you put the pooch in a kennel with a plexiglass door and turn on the blower and they get dry. The boys didn’t appreciate that very much, but it’s very effective. I’ll try to get some video edited and on YouTube soon.
The Whole Dog Barkery is highly recommended if your in the Bay Area. They have wonderful stuff, the spa is beyond wonderful, and you can stand and watch treats and stuff being baked in the kitchen on the other side of a viewing glass. And be sure and say hi to the very friendly Rhodesian Ridgebacks on site. Alicia Franklin is the owner and she has done a fabulous job. Be sure and visit.
Ask
This is the occasional blog of our three beagle boy puppies:
*Feargal* (which means valorous warrior), *Fergus* (which means strong warrior), and *Fredrik* (which means peaceful warrior).
They were born 8-Mar-07 along with their two sisters, Jasmine and Isabel. Their mom and dad are Ginger Spice Girl and Buddy Bear Castro. The boys are tri-colored beagle puppies. Feargal also has blue ticking patterns in his coat. They came to live with us permanently on 19-April-07.
More on their names:
We think of Feargal, Fergus, and Fredrik as meaning, respectively, valorous warrior, strong warrior, and peaceful warrior.
Feargal means valorous. “Feargal is derived from _fear_ [ _fhar_ ], a man (Latin _vir_), and _gal_, valour; and signifies ‘a valiant warrior.’ This Irish word is the root of the Latin proper name ‘Virgil,’ and of the surnames O’Farrell, O’Ferrall, and Freel; it also became a Christian name in some families, as ‘Farrell O’Rourke,’ etc.” (Irish Naming Patterns site)
Fergus means manly strength. “Fergus signifies ‘a strong warrior,’ and is derived from _fear_, a man, and _gus_, strength. Fergus is a popular Irish and Scottish name meaning ‘man-strength’ or ‘virility.’ ” (Wikipedia)
Fredrik is “a male given name, and is derived from the Germanic name Fridric, from _frid_ meaning ‘peace’ and _ric_ meaning ‘ruler’ or ‘power.’ The most common variant spelling of this name is Frederik, although the English spelling Frederick is more common than either. Fredrik replaced the Anglo-Saxon name Freodheric, and has been a rare first name in England since this time. In Sweden, Fredrik first fell into usage in the 14th century, and became increasingly common after the 18th century. It is currently 81st in Sweden’s most popular names, and 14th in Norway. It has a name day in Sweden, on July 18. Common diminutive forms include: Fred, Freddie and Rikke.” (Wikipedia)
View
Current Photo Galleries:
• *«The Beagle Boys Week 8»* | 3-May-07 | Feargal, Fergus, and Fredrik celebrated their Week 8 birthday by spending lots of play time outside and getting their first vaccinations at the vet lady’s office.
Contact
Here’s how to get in touch with us:
• E-Mail Feargal
• E-Mail Fergus
• E-Mail Fredrik
• E-Mail the Boys’ Daddies
Steve Pollock
Frank Lester
Feargal Murphy O’Dougal
Fergus Murphy O’Dougal
Fredrik Murphy O’Dougal
134 Wexford Street
Brentwood, CA 94513-4463
925 | 219-6511
Or use the form below to bark back at us:
First Baths
No updates in a long time. That’s because I’ve been under the weather and waiting on the change in servers. We’re now hosted on a brand-new Solaris servers at Joyent, and things are all spiffy. But it’s taking me awhile to get things back in place.
Today, the boys had their very first bath. We took them to the Whole Dog Barkery and Spa here in Brentwood and they had a grand time. Well, we did. They weren’t all that excited. They have a drying box where you put them in behind a plexiglass door and let them be air-dried automatically. They were not at all thrilled. Fergus was an espcially whiney dog. But then, he often is.
They also had their first encounter with a golden retriever (Fergus barked at him). And then they went to the park.
I have videos, but it will be a day or two before I get them processed using the new iMovie on our newly Leopard-powered Macs.
The boys will be eight months old this week. They are indeed a pack of hounds.
They Grow So Fast
The pups are now 19 weeks old.
Steve warned me, but I wasn’t really prepared. They _do_ grow fast!
Granted, I’ve been away a lot over the past month — traveling to Washington DC for a week at the end of June, down in Palm Springs for several days housesitting for a friend a week ago.
But even so, these are no longer puppies in size (little Fred, once undeniably the runt, is no longer little), although they are very much still puppies in attitude.
The pups sleep a lot less than they used to and have tons more energy than they used to. They inhale their food. Their curiosity knows no limits. A sunflower seed, a laptop cord, a supermarket receipt, a ripened peach, a dry twig, a flower pot full of wildflowers, the manufacturer’s tag on a pillow — all hold determined fascination (along with the spark of the irresistible impulse to be torn to shreds).
Fergus and Fred are still rambunctious, rowdy, and rapscallionesque. Feargal is somewhat less so, unless provoked by the two others. But he has his own ways of displaying his lingering puppyhood — like insisting on taking possession of my lap for extended periods during the weekday evenings, even though as the largest dog he cannot even be remotely said to comfortably fit in it anymore. Last night he contorted himself into a pretzel trying to get his lap time in.
Steve will have new photos up soon, I’m sure.
About this Site
This is a website featuring our three beagle boy puppies, Feargal (which means valorous warrior), Fergus (which means strong warrior), and Fredrik (which means peaceful warrior). They are tri-colored, blue tick beagle puppies.
They were born 8-Mar-07 along with their two sisters, Jasmine and Isabel. Their mom and dad are Ginger Spice Girl and Buddy Bear Castro. They came to live with us permanently on 19-Apr-07.
Click on the “Beagles” link in the sidebar to read more about each puppy. Thanks for visiting!
Some Random Photos
A new photo album is up and contains *«random pics from June 2007»*. Lots of beagle sleeping in this one.
I’m working on a couple of cute videos. But for now, enjoy the pics!
Week 14 Photos
A new photo album is finally posted: *«The Beagles Boys, Week 14»*. It includes this classic photo of Fredrik and Fergus which I was incredibly lucky to get. They never stay still long enough in any nice pose, so this is a very rare photo:
Lots of exciting things happened: The boys had their second round of shots and went for a ride in the car and walked around with leashes and harnesses for the first time and got a new swimming pool and everything. It was all quite exciting!
Feargal weighs 17.6 pounds, Fergus weighs 14.8, and Fredrik weighs 13.8. That’s why we call Feargal “The Big Dog” and “The Big Galoomph.” We’ll have to watch his weight. The boys are doing well, growing in leaps and bounds and having lots and lots of fun. When I get some time this weekend, I’ll work up some videos. In the meantime, enjoy the new gallery!
First in the Chair
The Fergus dog, with admittedly some prompting and cajoling, was the first of the boys to figure out how to jump up onto a chair yesterday. He has too much energy, however, to just lie there and enjoy it and is currently just using it in an effort to try to figure out how to get over the half-wall into the living room, the Forbidden City. Once you’re in the Forbidden City, it’s a quick run up the stairs to Paradise, also known as our bedrooms, which is a fabulously exciting thing for a beagle to do.
The boys have occasionally slipped through or broken through the safety gate between their room and the living room and gone charging upstairs. Once up there, you would think there were barrels of candy or something; they go absolutely nuts. Excited, wiggly, whiny, and did I mention excited? They refuse to come down and it becomes a fabulous game. They come to the head of the stairs and when we go up to get them, they run. They have a grand time and have to be scooped up and carried back downstairs. Which is becoming harder, since they have grown and are much heavier now, of course.
So Fergus uses his new-found ability to get in the chair to do some heavy beagle thinking: “How can I get over this wall into the Forbidden City?” Right now, it would be easy for him to get on top of the wall’s ledge, but then the issue of getting down is what is holding him in check. But I think it won’t be long until he figures out that, once he’s on the ledge, it’s a simple hop down over the back of the couch, then down to the floor. We’ll either have to hope he doesn’t figure it out or rearrange the furniture. Knowing beagles as I do, I’m mentally rearranging the room already.
Feargal loves to be in the chair, but has to be lifted into it. He hasn’t figured out what Fergus did, that you have to spread your back legs a bit and hop just right and catch your back paws on the edge of the cushion and Bob’s-your-uncle, you’re up. Feargal is heavier and slower, but probably smarter, so it won’t be long. At the very least, he’ll get big enough to just hop up without needing Fergus’ gymnastics. Feargal does enjoy sleeping on the chair or keeping an eye on his brothers with his forehead all wrinkled. He too shows interest in the Forbidden City on the other side, but would rather just curl up and nap.
Fredrik will probably be the second one to figure it out, but he’s lighter and smaller than Fergus and less interested in getting up there. He’s done better lately eating and is finally gaining weight and shows signs of keeping up with his brothers, at least to a degree. He’s still the smallest. He’s also the one who prefers to be outside. He’s also figured out that, if he wants to have a full meal, he has to send a message to his brothers or they finish with their usual blazing speed and come over to his bowl. Since Fred prefers to eat slower, he has to be a bit protective. We have to watch this one to make sure he doesn’t start to have food defense issues. But at least he’s finally having full meals and Feargal and Fergus definitely know to leave him alone. They don’t have a problem sharing with each other.
We go to the vet tomorrow afternoon for our follow-up vaccinations. Should be interesting, since they’ve outgrown their halters and will have to be on leashes with collars. Which they really don’t like. Gonna be an interesting trip.
I have some very cute pictures to post and will get them up as soon as I can. Meanwhile, so it goes.
Three Months Old!
I realize it’s been a while since I’ve posted. My physical condition has gone downhill this month as I’m slogging through the battery of tests thrown at me by the doctor and waiting for the magical surgery date which hasn’t materialized yet. But progress is being made, albeit very, very slowly.
The boys continue to do very well and tomorrow they will be three months old. Their heads are really turning brown now, something that has happened just in the last week. They romp and play for a couple of hours, then sleep for a couple of hours. All day long, that’s their routine. Fredrik is on the small and skinny side and we’re trying to fatten him up. Feargal is the chow hound and the big guy, the most even-tempered and the most cuddly/lovable. Fergus is pure alpha … full of energy and curiosity and did I mention energy? He’s the most vocal, too, and whines a lot to get his way. He and Fred have figured out how to bark; Feargal hasn’t found his voice yet. Feargal looks like his mom and acts like a Basset hound. I suppose he’s too cool and calm to bark yet.
We have some minor issues with the boys wanting to bite everything in sight, but we’re working on that and otherwise, they’re extremely good pups and have been really pretty trouble-free. They sleep all night long without a whimper. Although they are fed from three separate bowls, they insist on eating together (at least two of them) at one bowl before moving on to the next. Fortunately there are no food-sharing issues, like growling or fighting.
The good part of me being home the past month is that I’ve been able to spend lots of time with the boys and get them into a routine and start training them. They get to spend lots of time in the back yard running and playing and sunning themselves. They love water from the hose, digging in the garden, and chewing sticks. They’ve also begun picking the raw peaches from the tree and eating them down to the pit and then playing with the pit. I have to figure out how to raise the lowest branches above their reach. They don’t seem to have any problems digesting the peaches, but I’m surprised. I didn’t think they’d pick the fruit off the tree. I should have known better!
I’ll try to take some proper pics tomorrow and post a new gallery. In the meantime, it’s off to bed. Ah, life with puppies …
Bark
The Beagle Forum!
The Boys Versus the Waterhose
The boys have a *«new video»* up on YouTube!
Growing … With Sticks
I’m sitting outside watching the boys playing in the gloaming … the gathering twilight of a California sunset. The very nice soft evening makes me _almost_ think this place will be tolerable for a little while longer. _Almost_ I said.
They’re growing steadily still, although I suspect Fred and Feargal are on the too-thin side, and they play and sleep with gusto. They seem very happy and well-adjusted and problems have been minor. They think that playing means growling and biteys and getting wild, which is something we’ll have to address as they get older, because they are starting to do the same thing with us as they do with each other … lots of play growling and mouthing and attitude. That’s fine for dealing with your brothers within the pack during the early months of life; it’s not okay for dealing with the peoples in the pack.
They would rather have a good stick than any of the play toys in the world. That or a leg or tail of one of their brothers. Won’t be buying any more chew toys, at least for awhile; it’s wasted money. They’re keeping the flower beds well groomed. Obviously, that presents digestive and other issues, but for now, they’re fine.
Feargal is very itchy. His sides are kinda rough. We’ve tried children’s Benadryl and anti-itch wipes, but they don’t seem to do any good. We’ll have to step things up here, since I noticed a little scabbing this evening. Feargal has the personality and physical appearance of a goofy old bassett hound. He’s the most calm and even-tempered and will be a total complete couch hound, averse to exercise, once he’s through puppy-hood.
Fergus is the most beagle-dy of the bunch and is the most robust. He itches a bit, but not much. He’s not skinny, he’s very active and energetic, and he’s also very, very, very whiney. What a whiney-ass beagle! Sounds like a rusty squeeze box when he needs attention. When he’s playing outside, he is total beagle … a bit of a spazz, really, but adorable.
Fredrik continues to be runty, not much into eating (although his piggy brothers may have more to do with that). He’s also very beagle-dy, but almost all black in color. We’ll see how much brown he actually has when he grows up. His coloring will be interesting. The vet says he would be unable to have kids, and that issue may cause us some problems in the coming months. He has matured better than I thought he would, and he certainly doesn’t take anything off his bigger brothers.
Honestly, my feelings about puppyhood haven’t changed. I hadn’t planned to do this, and probably won’t do it ever again (famous last words!). It takes gallons of patience and stamina (and odor/stain remover) to get through the first six months or so. I was glad I did it with Bayley and I’ll be glad I did it with them. But. Good lord. Can’t wait for them to grow up and be the kind of beagle Bayley was … which was wonderful companion, only occasional pain-in-the-butt, and pretty near trouble-free.
And on that subject. Granted, I’ve been diagnosed with an adrenal tumor which, among other things, causes emotional spikes (up and down). But God, I miss Bayley and am having a helluva hard time adjusting to him being gone, even though it’s been over two months. The puppies have been with us for a month as of this coming Thursday, but I’m still not adjusted to them either.
But more than the puppies is that huge hole in my heart left by Bayley Murphy Beagle. I miss him every single day and feel incredibly guilty and sad over his last two months of life. Mostly, I just miss him. I didn’t get the puppies to replace him. You can never replace someone close to you in your life. I love these three little guys … a lot. But if I could wave a magic wand and reset the clock to say, January, I’d do it in a heart beat.
I’ll get over it, to the extent that you can. And the boys will occupy a new happy place in my heart. But there was only one Bayley. And I just … simply … miss him. In the gloaming.
