Help! Alfie's a persistent beggar

Does anyone know how to deal with a begging dog? I've looked after dogs in the past, but they knew the score. If they were told 'no', and 'lie down', they did. I've tried saying 'no' loudly (he's hard of hearing), I've tried ignoring him, and I've tried walking away. The instant he smells food cooking, he starts to bark and beg, and simply will not shut up. If I leave the room, he simply stands in the kitchen, barking. I must have lost half a stone at least this week, because I've barely cooked/eaten anything, as I find his behaviour so irritating.

The problem I have, is he's old and set in his ways. I suspect his previous owner used to feed him tidbits from his plate. The dog certainly seems to get very excited and very demanding when I'm eating. I refuse to give in to him, as this will make him even worse. Do I simply need to keep on ignoring him? It's very hard to avoid a woofing spaniel. For a dog who only weights 8.8 kilos, he's got one heck of a loud bark. This is the only aspect of him I'm finding very hard to deal. I know how to train a puppy not to beg, but not a dog who is set in his ways.

Is my dog mad?

Help! Alfie's doing weird things. Well, they may not be weird, but they are to me, as I've never had a dog before. In the last couple of days, he's started mistaking my couch for a flower border. He'll be happily snoring on his blanket, when he'll suddenly get up, and start digging at the couch, as if he's trying to unearth a long-lost bone. Is this a normal dog thing? A Cavalier King Charles thing? What does it mean?

Little beggar

Alfie, my Cavalier King Charles spaniel, is a little beggar. Obviously, his previous owner did nothing to discourage him. I can't eat a thing, without him developing the most pathetic, pleading expression ever. Not really sure how to deal with this, other than totally ignoring him. The ignoring isn't working yet, but I'm hoping he will eventually take the hint.

I can understand why people end up giving in to a begging dog. They just look so pitiful. But Alfie's had his eyes cleaned and treated, a nice walk, a hearty breakfast, lots of fuss, his steroid pill, and a tasty conditioning pill or two, so as far as I'm concerned, he's got nothing to look pathetic about. I'll just have to keep telling myself I know better than he does, and that I'm being kind to him by denying him human food, not mean. He was after my fruit and nut chocolate yesterday. So I said, 'Alfie, you're very welcome to a nice big chunk - over my dead body! It's poison, love. Get it? P-O-I-S-O-N!' He looked back as if to say, 'so? gimme some'. Not a chance!

He even begs when I have a coffee. I've tried offering him water, but he just looks back as if to say, 'no. Cappuccino, please'. I've been told to feed him three quarters of a mug, twice daily, of his special dry food, moistened with warm water. I guess this is enough for him. But he always seems to be on the scrounge for more food. Maybe it's just something all dogs do? I'd hate to think he's genuinely hungry.

The latest on Alfie

Well, he's been home nearly six hours now. In that time, I've walked him twice and cleaned up two of the most revolting, squidgy poos ever. He was very unsettled to begin with, pacing non-stop and trying to copulate with rugs, cushions, doggy blankets and cat toys. He seems to have stopped that rather fruity behaviour now, though.

The little beggar managed to wangle his way on to the couch earlier, and had a snooze. It seems the money I paid for his bed and bedding was rather a waste. He's now resting on a furry, lilac rug. Look:


Bless 'im. He's shown no aggression to the cats at all. Leo growled at him, but Liberty's just curious. The local kids have made a big fuss of him, too. Despite not being used to kids, he was very good with them. Unfortunately, he's a bit whiffy right now, so I'll give him a bath tomorrow.

Doggy day is here!

Picking the doggy up in a couple of hours. My poor cats have no idea. They'll be so peeved! Just realised I have a minor cash flow problem until tomorrow, thanks to some direct debits leaving my account several days early. So I hope the RSPCA don't expect too huge a donation from me! Luckily, there's no adoption fee to pay. I've (ever so) slightly over-spent buying new doggy bits. OK, so I spent a small fortune on him. Oh well. It's about time someone did, poor bloke. Back later, to let you all know how he's settling.

Oh, just one more thing. Do I continue to call him Clancy? Or shall I rename him Alfie? He probably won't notice the difference, as he's very hard of hearing. What do you reckon? Clancy or Alfie? Hang on, I'll add a poll.

Doggy undelayed

Mary, the lady at the RSPCA, called me earlier. The animal shelter are going to lend me a gate to keep Clancy - or Alfie as he'll be from tomorrow - safe. So, I'm picking him at lunchtime tomorrow. My friends, Mel and Bob, are going to drive me there and back. Let's hope it's a nice day, so I can take him for a good sniff around the neighbourhood.

Feeling nervous

The lady from the RSPCA is coming here around tea-time, to do the the pre-adoption home visit. I keep having nightmare visions of her saying 'this flat is vile, you're vile, and I wouldn't send a rat to live here'. Silly, I know. Mary, the lady who's carrying out the home check, is very nice. All she'll want to see, I suppose, is if my garden is enclosed, which it is, and to see if the other pets on the premises are in good shape - and they are, especially Demon Kitty Leo. I guess I'm just suffering pre-adoption nerves.

Hopefully, the shelter will be open tomorrow, so I can go and collect my new friend. I'll probably bore you to tears over the next couple of weeks with doggy pics, and loads of inane posts saying 'guess what my clever little doggy did today? He had a poo! Isn't that clever?'

Please bear with me!

My Doggy

I went to see Clancy again today, and took him for a nice walk. He could have come to live with me tomorrow, as the lady from the RSPCA wanted to do the home visit this evening. Unfortunately, I had to be somewhere, and couldn't get out of it. So the poor fellow has to spend another couple of days in kennels. Here he is sniffing around the trail we walked along, into some woods.


He wasn't too keen on posing for the camera.


I finally managed to get a couple of fairly reasonable shots of him.


It's such a shame he was neglected so horribly. His poor little eyes protrude so much, as a result of not getting the treatment he needed for his dry eye syndrome. He's such a cute little fellow, though.


He actually recognised me when he was brought out to me today. Whereas he was pretty indifferent to me on Tuesday, he kept coming back to me, as we were walking along, and demanding a fuss. I was worried about walking him too far, as I think I was wrong when I thought, the other day, that he may be a couple of years younger than I've been told. He's definitely an old fellow. But there was no danger of me wearing him out. When he'd had enough, he led me back to his kennel, bless him.

I've got his bed, cushion, a nice fleecy dog blanket, a collar, a flexi lead, two new bowls, and some poop bags. The RSPCA will supply me with some food, as he's temporarily on a special diet. Is there anything else I need? All this doggy stuff is very new to me.

Anyway, here's a little clip of him enjoying his walk. Sorry about the poor quality. It was fine until YouTube mangled it.

New poll

Just posted a new poll in my sidebar. Please take a second to vote. As a long-time cat owner, who is hopefully about to become a dog owner, too, I'm curious to see whether my readers prefer cats or dogs. Or perhaps you like both equally? Or maybe you don't like either. At the moment, I still prefer cats, although I'm really looking forward to caring for a certain cute little Cavalier King Charles spaniel. All I can say, is thank heavens I don't have a soft spot for Rottweilers or Great Danes!

Thursday Thirteen - Cavalier King Charles

Thirteen reasons to own a Cavalier King Charles.

It's been ever such a long time since I participated in the Thursday Thirteen meme. Too long. But it's been quite hard to find the time. I've also had difficulty thinking of topics to write about. Today, I thought I'd write about Cavalier King Charles spaniels. I recently got over a longstanding phobia of dogs, and can now happily play fetch with humongous Rottweilers. But my favourite breed of dog is the Cavalier King Charles spaniel. I hope to own one of these little dogs soon. So here are thirteen good reasons why I would like to own a Cavalier King Charles.

1... They look cute. Don't you agree? The coat colouring of this one is known as Blenheim.


2... They're very affectionate little dogs. In fact, they're known as 'the love-sponge of dogs'.

3... They're very gentle, and are generally very safe with children. Although I don't have kids, I know plenty of people that do, and would hate to own a dog I didn't trust around kids.

4... They get on with other pets, including cats. I have cats, so I can't risk introducing a dog into my home that might attack my cats.

5... I live in a flat, so I need quite a small dog. That said, I don't want a tiny little lapdog. I want one that I can take on long walks. Although the Cavalier King Charles is classed as a toy breed, it's probably the biggest of the toy breeds, and not much smaller than a cocker spaniel.

6... They're very easy dogs to train, because they're intelligent, and love to please their owners.

7... They're very sociable little dogs, so they make ideal pets.

8... They apparently have a lot of traits in common with cats, including a tendency to perch in high places, and chase butterflies. As a life-long cat lover, having one of these little dogs around the house won't be too much of a culture shock for me.

9... Because of their easy-going nature, they're considered one of the best dogs for first time owners - which is what I would be.

10... The Cavalier King Charles is considered to be equally suitable for able-bodied or disabled people alike. I have a mild disability, in the form of arthritis, so I really couldn't cope with a big, heavy dog that tried to drag me everywhere.

12. In addition to the Blenheim-coated dog above, there are three other Cavalier King Charles coat colourings. This one is a Ruby King Charles.


This little cutie is a Black and Tan.


Last, but not least, especially as it's my personal favorite of all the colourings, is the Tricolor. Awwww!


13... My final reason for wanting to own a Cavalier King Charles is - well, I simply do.

Now, all I need is about £500 - around $1000 - which is what I need to pay to get a puppy from a reputable dealer. Never, ever buy a Cavalier King Charles puppy without first asking the seller about the medical history of its parents and grandparents. Sadly, these lovely little dogs are prone to many genetic disorders, so it's better to be safe than sorry. Happy Thursday!

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