At last, the sun shone and it actually felt like dog-walking weather yeay It was soooooooooooooo nice today that I decided to take Oscar and Ruby to the beach to have a good run (a tired beagle is always a good thing)

Let me fill you in on a few facts about my lovely doggies - basically, they are sometimes NOT all that lovely We have had Oscar and Ruby from pups Oscar spent the first 22 months of his young life, having a rare old time running rings around me. Although there were times when his recall was exceptionally good, unfortunately, there were more occassions when it was just plain rubbish Nose to the ground he just would not come back, unless, of course, he wanted to As a consequence, Oscar is for the most part on lead for his walks - the exception being the beach where I allow him to run free (except for the 15 metre flat lead still attached - call it my safety net)

Ruby has been a star A star that is in the recall stakes- notice the use of the past tense - just recently Ruby decided to put her nose to the ground and not listen to my calling her back. At the moment she is still free - but if this behaviour doesn't improve, I'll have two little darlings on lead

Today was a good day for both my beaqles - they met their doggie friends,Susie, Jasper, Peter and Jenny, and a few new friends too. Oscar loves nothing better than chasing his ball - he even brings it back sometimes. Ruby had a little selective hearing towards the end of the walk but on the whole she was a good girl.

Later, with the wewther still bright, I took them both for a walk up the nearby hills, which has resulted in two very sleepy dogs tonight. Good job done