This beagle turns 9!

This beagle is 9 years old today. A year older, a year wiser, perhaps? Don't know about that, but I can confirm that this beagle has more white fur - especially on my face and brows.

So, what did this beagle do today? Well, my day started with rain - and lots of it from the wee hours in the morning. No matter, this beagle was nicely snuggled in my bed right outside my humans' bedroom (yeah...my humans have given up on letting me sleep outside). My normal morning walk was out of the question but I did get a mid-morning walk when the rain stopped. Snoozed during the day. Walked again in the evening. Dad took the day off work so it was nice to be able to walk with both my humans today.

But, being a typical beagle, my highlight of the day was dinner! Every year on my birthday, my human prepares a special dinner treat. This year, I had succulent slices of liver, served on a bed of fluffy white rice, with sprinkles of doggie kibble. Typical mum, despite it being my special day, she makes me sit and wait before allowing me to eat. I have to look elsewhere to resist the temptation!


When she finally gives me the OK, I was in such a hurry that my ears flopped in the air.


The meal was so delicious that a little fly decided to join me. See the little black dot on the top right side of my head - that's the fly...


All too soon, my birthday meal was gone. Let's see if some bits fell to the side. Nope...no such luck.


It was a pretty good birthday all in all. I wonder if I can "con"vince my human to give me another liver treat for dinner tomorrow...

Spot the Beagle

Did you find me? I'm hidden beneath the bamboo on the right hand side by the wall.



Every couple of months, my human has to trim the bamboo plant in our backyard. Naturally, this beagle loves to help out, although my humans think that I actually get in the way...Hmmph! That't the thanks I get for being helpful...

Fence - 0; Kess -1

A few weeks back, my humans went away for a short break at Cameron Highlands. This beagle also had my own getaway at Puppy Cottage. Now, if you recall, last month, I wrote a post about being "Fenced Down" at home. Well, my humans are not the only ones who use the dog fences to keep doggies in or down. Puppy Cottage also uses the dog fences to cordon off an area at the front of the shop for their canine guests to roam freely. This was a picture taken last year during my stay there:


Did you notice the fence at the front, to keep us canines safe within the roaming area? This is the picture of me at Puppy Cottage this recent trip.


Notice the difference? This beagle is actually being walked down the corridor. Why? Well, a certain wily beagle (no names named), have figured out how to jump/climb over the fence. That's right...1 point to the beagle! Anyway, as a result, R from Puppy Cottage had to put me in one of the back rooms with another Goldie...I must say though I did miss the excitement about being in the front of the shop as there is lots of entertainment with people walking by the shop and customers coming in to buy stuff. So, maybe the fence won this round after all...

And what were my humans doing at Cameron Highlands while this beagle was busy outwitting the fence? Apart from their usual stuffing their faces, they also went on a hiking tour to see the giant Rafflesia flower. They endured a bone-jarring jeep ride into the jungle, followed by a hike through some fairly steep muddy terrain - all to see this giant flower. Once, it has bloomed, the flower only lasts for 7 days. This Rafflesia was already 4 days old and had started to wilt.


The domed centre of the Rafflesia is made up a spongy material. The Rafflesia, which is also called a corpse flower because it emits a foul smell of dead animal, attracts flies and flesh eating beetles. The pollen which is in the centre, then gets stuck to these insects, which will then carry on the pollenation of this flower. Surprisingly though, this species of Rafflesia which was in Cameron Highlands did not have any noticeable smell to my humans. However, there were flies around the flower, so it must emit some kind of odour.


No one really knows for sure, but it is estimated that the Rafflesia takes 10 months to grow from this ball of cabbage to a full grown flower, which can be up to 1 metre wide.


After 7 days or so, the Rafflesia turns black and wilts, a shadow of its former glory. Sadly, due to the delicate nature of this flower, and the the length of time it takes to grow, the Rafflesia is becoming extremely rare. In Cameron Highlands, the loss of its natural habitat and use of pesticides due to increased farming has resulted in much smaller numbers of the Rafflesia. Who knows if this unique flower will be around in the next few years...

Yummy...Three rotis!

"Dear, where did you put the roti canai*?" mum asks dad over dinner.

Dad looks at mum, jumps up from the dining chair and immediately rushes outside to look for the Malaysian pancake* he had brought home for breakfast the next day. Too late...he sees a packet of curry on the floor by the shoe rack, follows the trail to the garden where he sees shredded brown paper with a packet of dahl. No rotis... That's what happens when my humans leave any food on the top of the shoe rack, within the reach of a wily beagle.

Guess who had the 3 rotis for dinner? That's right. This beagle hit the jackpot tonight. Not only did I score my usual 1/2 cup kibble for dinner. I also ate the 3 roti canai with eggs (yeap...that's 3 eggs)! After that heavy meal, I could hardly move. Well, I wasn't going anywhere... My humans sent me to jail and banished me outside.


As further punishment, my humans debated whether I should forego my two meals tomorrow, i.e., my morning and evening meals or just breakfast. What do you think? Post your comment here or vote on the poll on the top right of this blog.

* Roti canai is a fried Indian Muslim pancake which is a favorite for breakfast or tea among food-loving Malaysians. Even so, my humans thinks that 3 rotis for 1 normal person is way too much...let alone for a canine...