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...