Dead Grass = Success...

It's a strange title for a post but it'll make sense shortly. If you remember, I wrote about my very own patch of grass a few months back. Back then, it was a lovely patch of green grass that looked like this...



A perfect place for a beagle to snooze. My humans reckon that they've supplied me with enough doggie beds and carpets around the house for catching forty winks and would prefer for me to use my patch of grass for peeing instead. Well, they got their wish and my little garden patch now looks like this...


That's right, there is a patch in the centre that's brown and dead due to the potent PH of this beagle's pee. Despite their best efforts to mitigate the effects of dog pee on grass by watering it after each pee, nature takes its course!


Of course, my humans have trained me so well that I automatically run to my food bowl, waiting to be be rewarded for peeing on the grass (that's how they got me to pee there in the first place :-)). Although, I have noticed that the treats are getting smaller each time...Sneaky humans!

Anyway, my humans reckon that having brown grass is worth the price. When we're not having typhoons or strong winds, they leave the glass door open so that I can go and pee anytime I want to. It also came in handy during the time when I had a runny tummy. I was glad I didn't have to wait to go downstairs coz I don't think I could have waited! So, all in all, humans and beagle are happy with our dead grass!

If dogs could read...

I wonder which genius posted this sign at a local playground in Malaysia?
Kess' Mama

My Very Own Patch of Grass

After much delay, my humans have finally got me my very own garden patch of grass. Can't really call it a garden when what it actualy is, is a 3 by 4 ft plastic box filled with pebbles, soil and grass. So, I thought a patch of grass is more appropriate. I have to say though, it's quite a lovely patch of grass. Our neighbours are all quite impressed that we actually got real grass. Some of them got synthetic grass for their canines. My humans thought that the real thing would suit our needs better since this beagle is used to real grass back in Malaysia. My humans are grateful to the manager at our apartment who helped them source for the custom-built box and grass supplier. Otherwise, this would not have been possible. My little patch of grass is placed at our balcony. My humans did not let me out to the balcony for 1 week after the grass was planted so that the grass can take root properly. Finally, in the second week, they decided to introduce me to the grass patch. As always, this beagle is cautious when it comes to exploring new things and I gingerly climb onto the box and sniff.

I check out the Hong Kong view from the patch of grass:

I have a snooze on the patch of grass:

I did everything but pee on the patch of grass, which was why my humans got it for me in the first place! After a few days of failure, my humans thought of an idea. When they took me down to pee, they took a leaf that I had peed on and brought it back up to transfer the pee scent onto the grass. So the next morning, they opened the glass door to the balcony, fed me breakfast so that I would have to a full bladder, and stood in the cold balcony, encouraging me to pee. (The things our humans do for us...). Their perseverance pays off!

I still don't use the grassy patch on a regular basis, preferring to go downstairs instead. So my humans still have to take me downstairs for my night pee before bedtime. However, they now don't have to take me downstairs first thing in the morning. Instead, they open the balcony door and leave the option to me to pee there whilst they have breakfast. Sometimes, I'll pee on the grass and sometimes I just wait until my morning walk. Hey, it's a beagle's choice after all :-)

Family time

Now that my humans are with me again, I'm fine. No more diarrhea or vomitting. This beagle's appetite is back to normal and my tail is up again. In fact, I've had a pretty fantastic time over the last 3 weeks. We had both sets of families over in HK for a visit. My humans and I have been in HK for 3 months. Whilst we've made new friends, both humans and canines, it is wonderful to be reunited with our families, even if it's only for a few short weeks.

I've been busy hanging out with gramps whilst he catches up with the newspaper...


I've been posing for pictures for Aunty Evie...


With all the family here, my humans have also been going out more than normal. Initially, my humans thought that they would have to engage the services of a dog-sitter when they go out for dinners with their folks. One night, they were waiting for the dog-sitter before they went out for dinner but she did not turn up. Despite calls and text messages, the dog-sitter did not respond. So, my humans decided to give me special treats for dinner, a chewable treat and then hid small bits of liver treats all over the house. They left the TV on for some background noise and left quietly, hoping for the best. Well, this beagle surprised them...I was extremely well-behaved and everyhing was fine when they got back from dinner. Everyone was happy and all was well for 3 weeks.

However, this beagle recently decided that it was no longer fun being left alone and went back to my old habit of whining, shredding boxes and scratching doors.



So, we're back to square one. My humans have submitted their application for a helper and hopes that once she joins us next month, we won't have an issue with my separation anxiety anymore and my humans have more flexibility in going out.

Stress affects dogs too...

From the desk of Kess' mama:

Kess has been suffering from stress-related ailments. Our beagle went to boarding for a week as both J and I were away for work. When she came back, she had no appetite and refused to eat her breakfast. which if you've been following this blog, will know it's unusual for this greedy beagle. In all her 9 years +, the only other time she refused to eat was after her surgery when we spayed her. Even after drinking water, she would vomit. It took 3-4 days after her return before she was back to normal. When we were in Malaysia, she had gone to boarding before and there were no issues. I suspect she's not fully recovered from the move or from being crated! She feels insecure because she's out of her comfort zone as clearly evidenced by her tucked down tail. Usually, her tail will be up in the air like a wavy flag.

Recently, we had to board her for 1 night at a nearby boarding place. When she came back, she had a runny tummy. In fact, when we woke up this morning, she discovered she had a poop accident in the house...we spent quite some time cleaning up her trail of runny poop! Usually, Kess is very good with regards to controlling her bowel until we take her out in the morning once we wake up. On hindsight, there were a few other times when she had a runny tummy, after a stress trigger event.

We've decided to hire a full-time helper to provide more stability for Kess. Hopefully, things will improve once we get full-time help and she won't need to go for boarding when we travel. It'll also give us flexibility to go out without worrying about her separation anxiety.

Cat attack

The phrase "Fighting like cats and dogs" has new meaning for this beagle. My humans and I were walking back home after our long evening walk yesterday. We took a short cut home and saw a stray cat sitting in the middle of the pavement. Now, we were just minding our own business, walking by the side to pass this cat. I was very well behaved and did not even try to sniff at the cat.

As we were passing by, the cat suddenly lunged at us, hissing and swiping its claws. We immediately retreated. I was terrified! My human quickly grabbed a fallen palm leaf on the ground and using that as a "shield", managed to get the cat to move to the side. We then quickly walked pass, with my humans keeping an eye out to make sure the cat did not come after us. Once we were safely away from the cat, my humans examined me and found that my ear was bleeding. The cat had managed to swipe my ear. Luckily my humans had a pack of wet wipes in their doggie bag, so they did their best to clean up the blood and stop the bleeding. When we got home, they used some mild antiseptic solution to clean it further. Thankfully, my rabies jab is up to date...Anyway, here I am recovering from the unprovoked attack. The wound didn't look so bad after the blood was wiped off.


This morning, my human recounted the story of the cat attack to some of the regular dog-walkers during our walk. It turns out that this nasty cat has tried to attack other dogs that have walked past as well. Looks like we have to be more careful if we encounter the cat again.

Cats and this beagle just don't get along. I got swiped on my cheek by a cat before when I was on border patrol. However, that was perhaps understandable since it was a confrontational situation. This time, it was totally unprovoked. I think I'm going to stay clear of cats from now on...

Separation anxiety

Beagles are pack animals. We don't like being alone. Now back home in Malaysia, I didn't like being left home alone. I've climbed over 7-foot fences, killed plants and dug the garden when left in the garden. During the rainy season, when left indoors, I would scratch the grill, shoe cabinet, shred paper bags....you get the picture...

My humans used to accept it in their stride. Sure, they got frustrated from time to time. But they knew that it's part and parcel of having a dog. Then of course, my humans had a network of family and friends whom they could rely on to keep an eye on me. We had the best neighbors, Aunty C and family absolutely adored me and I was equally at home at their place as I was at my own. Aunty C would usually bring me over to her place when my humans went out. If my humans had to travel, I would usually go over to gramps homes on both sides of the family.

Now that we're in Hong Kong, away from family and neighbours, my humans are faced with the predicament of having to deal with this beagle's separation anxiety. The first few times they went out, they put me in my crate, with a special bone treat. They even left the radio on so that there would be sounds at home. When they came home, they would find this beagle in a state of anxiety, wet from water spillage from the water bottle on the crate door because I had been "bouncing" my crate, as if I was trying to move the crate closer to the door. Looks like I never did adjust to being in a crate.
Because we live in a rented apartment, they don't dare to let me roam freely in the house due to fear of damage to the property. What they've resorted to doing now is getting in helpers cum dog-sitters when they want to go out. So each time they go out, they always have to watch the time coz they have to be home by a certain time. They've also tried a doggie day care once when they ouldn't get someone to come in. But they know that this beagle is more comfortable at home. It's been pretty challenging for my humans as it means they can't be spontaneous. They are now considering a full time helper, which is very common in HK so that there will be someone home with me whenever they go out. The trade off is loss of privacy. It's a real dilemma and they're still trying to find the best solution for our family.