Eilis is one of our dogs...she is supposed to be a pure bred Jack Russell but her papers were lost...I bought her for five punt ( before the currency changed ) from a chap at a horse fair we'd come across quite by accident...not the man...the horse fair.
There she was huddled up in the gutter tied to a comatose donkeys leg with a bit of string...she was small enough to fit in my hand and I felt sorry for her...so I asked the man how much he was asking and he said twenty-five and I laughed and walked away...he changed his mind and said I could have her for five but he'd left her papers at home and I said that was perfectly alright and he untied her from the donkeys leg and handed her over...
All this occurred outside a butchers shop...with the butcher watching...no sooner had I scooped this little scrap up than the butcher appeared in his doorway...Psst...psst...he was holding a small package in his hand and offering it to me...a bit of chicken he said...for the dogeen. I said goodness me thank you ever so much and he said no problem...
All that happened eighteen years ago. And Eilis has been my hair shirt ever since.
She barks. She barks when we come in and barks when we go out and barks at nothing in particular...most of the time. And she snores loudly. And her claws grow very long then all you can hear is her clicking across the floor...we have to pay the vet vast sums of money to trim her claws because I tried it once and she had hysterics...
When she was no more than a couple of months old she ran right up to the very top of Knock na Shee mountain after sheep...the sheep scattered save for the ram who stood his ground and knocked her flying...she ran all the way back down again...we used to take her out in the car but she eats stuff...she ate through my seatbelt and through the wires at the back that connect to the lights and she'd stand on my lap...when she wasn't eating stuff...and bark furiously at cows and people and other dogs...spit flying everywhere.
She chases my cats and bit the meter mans trousers and if she goes out of the front door she races up to see Bruce and Sammy the dogs who live next door...then she stands outside their gate and barks at them...
Eilis likes sitting in things...she sits in my basket of knitting and on wet towels on the bathroom floor and once sat on my hyacinths and squashed them...
And she adores drinking coffee...leave dregs in your mug and leave the mug on the table and she'll find her way up there and then she'll slop away...happy as Larry...it makes her high as a kite.
She buries bits of dog biscuit then digs them up days later to eat them and brought a bit in one day that had a huge green slug on it...
Eilis adores going for walks but she has to have a lead on otherwise she simply runs away across the bog and no amount of bawling at her makes any difference...she comes back...but only when she decides to.
She's a bit fat now and the fur on her face has gone grey...she sleeps up against my back every night like a hottie bottle that never goes cold and sheds hair all over the throw...
I hope she doesn't get ill...I hope she just goes to sleep one day because although she's a total pain we do love her.
Eilis is pro. Eye-Leesh... a Dogeen is simply a small dog.
Yep,bark,that's what Jrts do,I know I have two,and Jack is a hunter so has to stay on a long lead as he would take off,Lady is ok she would walk with a lead, but I prefer to stay safe and keep her on a lead too,Jack turns a deaf ear,and drives me nuts,Lol. Both are rescue dogs they were 3 when we got them,it seems they had been well cared for,and don't appear to have been mistreated,we have had them 6 yrs now,they are not related,but both came from A rescue in Wales,which is miles from where I live.
So sweet vashti, she sounds a like a loveable rascal. X Sonia x
I've had three Jack Russell's, on my third now and I love their characters, totally mischievous and naughty, full of character. My Jack Russell Poppy she hates anyone passing the house she barks like crazy then bombs through the cat flap and carries on barking till they pass. Have just got a Jack Russell/pug cross and she is full of energy, eats like a gannet, and is a real character, she's just coming up to 5 months old and tormenting the life out of poppy.
I loved your story of Ellis it makes you remember all the antics your dog's been up to x x x
Ellis sounds quite a character! She is doing so well to get to 18 years old. My Mae who is a Labrador x Lurcher is nearly 15, sadly she has a cancerous tumour in her leg that is so aggressive nothing can be done except keeping her comfortable, she is doing so well though, she was diagnosed in July, and we hoped that she would see the summer out, which she did, and then we hoped she would make it to Christmas, and she has, and so now we hope she makes it to her birthday on the 1st March ! She has the most wonderful cheeky character even now, she doesn't bark much , and has always like to try to get her own way. She was always the fastest runner and liked to be chased until the other dogs gave up , and she was very good at surfing down sand dunes head first! I got Mae from The Dogs Trust shortly after my previous dog Chester had passed away, he was also from The Dogs trust he liked to chew car seatbelts!. I say a little prayer each night that Mae will pass away in her sleep, I dread having to take her to the vets to be euthanized when she looses her quality of life. But for now we still enjoy our walks together they are just a little bit shorter than they used to be.
Morning Vashti, what a character Ellis sounds, what was a punt worth 18 years ago, but what a bargain she has been, especially to be the subject of such a wonderful story, she must be such a comfort at night, doesn't matter about the hairs etc, Best wishes, Bulpit
Eilis was definitely meant to be yours vashti and what a great deal of pleasure she has brought to you. She sounds like quite a typical small dog, thinks she can take on the world and often does just that. Animals touch our hearts and live along side us, not just as pets, but as family members, loved and cared for in the same way. I also hope Eilis just goes to sleep one day as that is what I hope for our 16 year old cat who can be a right pain in the backside but is loved by the whole family.
Hi Vashti, Eilis sounds great company Vashti & as noisy & mischievous as our mini Schnauzer Ollie. The large Schnauzers & they are LARGE, were bred for cattle herding in Germany & are still used for crowd control. The minis’ were bred to be vermin hunters & companion dogs; so the minis' are very similar in temperament to Jack Russell’s; being fast, affectionate, excitable, curious, talkative, very playful & pretty brave
I think I have given Ollie mixed messages about barking because when he barks at strangers near the house; he is doing his job & I say good boy & pet him. Trouble is, I can’t turn him off but I used a pet corrector spray when he was a pup & it worked. So now, I say no more, gone now & cup my fingers around a pretend spray & make a whooshing noise & this seem to work. At least for now! Love Margaret x
An utrasonic whistle will stop dogs barking. You can download one onto your phone or buy one online. I find the phone one more effective though.
We have a travel crate for our Jack Russel, George, He has a lovely thick bed in it, layers of blankets and a mattress at the bottom. He chewed a hole in the mattress, hence the layers of blankets.
When he has been for a walk on a wet day he buries himself under his bed. We have a towel to dry him with before closing the crate. It is 36" x 26" so isn't cramped. It stopped him nibbling the inside of the car.
My previous Jack Russell was a Parson and she lived to be nearly 19.
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We are all so poorer for the loss of our dear friend Skischool
Update as you can all see in pic Stan likes to play peek a boo 🩵
Sunday’s Poem - Somebody’s Mother
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