dog days

 

 I made this little number for Cissie for the summer. Not this summer though. More like summer 2012.

This was not intentional. I don't really now how it happened. It was from a Japanese pattern book so there is every chance I misunderstood something. Somehow the directions seemed so clear and yet.....here I am staring a shirt that, at a push, could fit Little Claire.

By the time Cissie can fit into it I am fairly sure she will object to the vintage fabric I chose. Though it has dogs on it (she is an an animal lover) so there's a chance she'll still go for it. On the subject of dogs look at this little cutie who came to stay for the night.

His name is Jake and our friends just got him from the SPCA. He stayed with us while they went away for the night.

Here is our unfaithful old beagle, Emlyn. You may remember that my husband is the family namer. Will love anyone for food. Will eat anything(except raw spinach and Vick's Vapor Rub).  Will steal food from anyone, anywhere but in return is very loving and hardly ever complains about the lack of walks he gets these days.

I have a lot of stories about Emlyn. How he managed to open a lockedsuitcase to find some chocolate. The time he ate my father-in-laws blood pressure medicine - I don't recommend trying to induce vomiting in a dog as a pleasant way to pass an afternoon. The time he ran to a neighbor's's house and ate not 1, not 2, not even 3 but 4 bags of Halloween candy. 

Almost all stories about Emlyn involve stealing food or running away or most often a combination of both. My favorite being the time we got a call from the fancy cake shop near us saying that he just walked in the door and sat on the floor staring at the cakes. I think he was trying to place an order, but they didn't take MasterBeagle.

We got Emlyn about two months after we moved to the US. We moved here for Andy's job and though I had a good job in London, I wasn't able to work here at first because of the kind of visa we were on. Those first couple of months were really weird. I'd left behind my family, my friends, my job and we got married just two months before we moved so I was getting used to a new name too.

I found Emlyn in a car park of an Italian restaurant. The owner wanted to find a new home for him. He was originally her husband's dog and after he'd left her for another woman Emlyn needed to go too. I took him home and washed him and loved him. I walked him three times a day, took the best care of him and then along came the babies. Emlyn has faithfully stood by this family, never getting cross with the kids, never chewing my furniture when I no longer had time to walk him. He has learned to love the kids, seeing them as dog sized waiters continually running round with hors d'oeuvres for him.

He has been such a good companion to me and I am so grateful we found him. He drives me insane with his relentless food obsession but he is a loyal and loving hound and for that I will always love him. And even occasionally I'll let him and his new friend have a nap on my bed.

Comments

[pasha plum]

What a sweetie--we have a beagle too. Seriously--all about the food!

[Vicki]

I don't understand people who don't let their dog sleep on the bed. Every summer I shake the wood chips (Cadbury enjoys chewing sticks before bed) and dirt and hair off of the dog-friendly coverlet and climb into bed with him sleeping on my feet. I don't think I could sleep any other way. Dogs Rule!

Beagles are pretty great dogs. I even like the howling...

[Nada]

I didn't know you were British!

sweet dog...

[sukigirl]

Oh yes, beagles are all about the food LOL
I love how mine launches her front feet into the air every time she howls...cracks me up!
My vet once told me...
"Just embrace the beagle in her...don't fight it"! Words of wisdom.

[Molly]

How Sweet!! I just found your blog through crazy mom quilts and LOVE it! She had a link to your vintage sheet quilt, which is highly adorable! I plan to peruse and be back many times.

[kristin]

i have a piece of that fabric now :) thanks again for your generous give-away gift! (big catch-up day for me...can you tell?)

[Georgia]

Beagles all around the world must be the same. Our Pip certainly sounds like your Emlyn. She once managed to open a esky (ummm...not sure what you would call it, Ice box? Cooler?) to get at the ice inside. Not too astonishing perhaps, but she was only a couple of months old at the time and the esky was 10 times the size of her. :-S

[Patty]

What a sweet post!