Two Polish Lowland Sheepdog brothers in Italy - now about to head to France
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Polish Lowland Sheepdogs : The mature dog
The boyz hopefully have a fulfilled,happy life chasing the local wildlife to their hearts content and exploring the olive encircled boundaries of their new outdoor existence here in Italy. However, there is no escaping the fact that they will be 8 years old in May and their behaviour is slowly changing from that of the eternal puppy to that of the older dog. They now sleep much more than they used to,and the whizzing little bundles of fur that only recently were in perpetual motion are now quite content to lock in an hour or two of quality dozing in mid-morning and again in the late afternoon. Even the arrival of the post lady which once caused a near pandemonium of scratching at the door and howling is now greeted with rarely more than a warning bark .Joints and muscles that used to be supple and tireless are now prone to stiffness. One very useful supplement in dealing with the onset of older age has been the Dorwest Herbs glucosamine tablets - a half tablet at lunch and dinner has kept them both free of arthritis and kept Digby's early signs of hip dysplasia from developing.Dorwest also does a marvellous garlic tablet which defends against minor illnesses - neither of the boyz has ever picked up anything when in the kennels so it seems to act as an excellent prophylactic and keeps them secure as they segue into advanced age.
2004 - We sell the farm in Scotland and move to the warmth of southern Europe. 2 lively Polish Lowland Sheepdogs - Wilf and Digby - our patient and comical companions. After a year in Provence we head to Italy to restore a hilltop Roman watchtower . Following an unpleasant 'housejacking' in late 2009 we set off for new adventures in South West Franceto get to grips with a large and exceedingly rickety old farmhouse. Empty nesters life after the violence of Italy has a gentler tempo. Digby passed on from piroplasmosis in May 2010. HIs brother, despite being diagnosed with cancer and having become blind ,soldiered on for another two years. Bob and Sophie joined us in 2013. Bob passed on in 2019. Sophie enjoyed the fresh air in Scotland after we returned in late 2022 but ran ahead in the summer of 23. This blog records all those little things about living with dogs that are too unimportant to make it into a diary but which make life, life.
The boyz hopefully have a fulfilled,happy life chasing the local wildlife to their hearts content and exploring the olive encircled boundaries of their new outdoor existence here in Italy. However, there is no escaping the fact that they will be 8 years old in May and their behaviour is slowly changing from that of the eternal puppy to that of the older dog. They now sleep much more than they used to,and the whizzing little bundles of fur that only recently were in perpetual motion are now quite content to lock in an hour or two of quality dozing in mid-morning and again in the late afternoon. Even the arrival of the post lady which once caused a near pandemonium of scratching at the door and howling is now greeted with rarely more than a warning bark .Joints and muscles that used to be supple and tireless are now prone to stiffness. One very useful supplement in dealing with the onset of older age has been the Dorwest Herbs glucosamine tablets - a half tablet at lunch and dinner has kept them both free of arthritis and kept Digby's early signs of hip dysplasia from developing.Dorwest also does a marvellous garlic tablet which defends against minor illnesses - neither of the boyz has ever picked up anything when in the kennels so it seems to act as an excellent prophylactic and keeps them secure as they segue into advanced age.
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