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Charlie searches the web

It is a while since we stepped back from letting you know about what we are up to and went searching the  web.  So with Christmas in sight we thought we would concentrate on gadgets.

Sniftag –  Monitor your dog’s activity while you’re away. Keep in touch with his friends and yours. Share helpful information and pet tips online. And get connected to your community. It’s hi-tech, it’s hi-style, easy to use, and completely customizable.

When two dogs wearing SNIF Tags are within close range of one another, the Tags automatically swap unique identifying codes, recording the encounter and relaying it to our server when the dogs return to a connected SNIF Base Station. Units cost around $250

Dog Pedometer - Lloydspharmacy has launched a new Dog Pedometer, so that dog owners can give their beloved pet a gift that will benefit them well beyond the usual festive treats and bones, and give them the healthiest and happiest start to the New Year. With the capacity to count up to 99,999 steps and offering two different modes to fit smaller and larger animals, the Dog Pedometer will help keep track of a pet’s exercising so that owners can plan and monitor its improvement over time.

Tail Light – A concept idea but the designers, James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau, envision this device to help dogs overcome the evolutionary shortfalls they experience when being forced to live in a human world.  By attaching a strip of LED’s (small lights to those who don’t know) to our tails and a bit of electronics we can say things depending on the speed we wag our tails.

Handy leash – As part of a project to explore how people treat their pets as human surrogates, Alice Wang has designed some quite interesting products. The Hand leash was the first  item to catch our attention but we also spotted the Pet Pillow  - ideal for those sleepovers. Lets hope some of these make their way to the stores.

Thirst Alert - Automatically lights up to let you know your pet needs fresh water. Low water level activates Flashing Red Lights located on the rim of the dish. Helpful for the partially sighted human to know when the water bowl needs refilling.

We need your help

If you would like to get in touch and tell us about your favourite gadget for inclusion in my next look around the web, let us know via the contact us page.

and finally…

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHAshi4vdbg

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North Eden viaduct walk

Approaching the Merrygill viaduct just outside of Kirkby Stephen is where we start this part of the adventure.  

Passing through the swing gate and onto the viaduct.  It was very wide with high sides so we could not see over the edge but mum said the view was fantastic.

The path was made of fine gravel so was great to walk on and it was clean, so we didn’t pick up any mud.

You can read all about the history of this former rail track on the Heritage and History website.

Charlie did a lot of exploring and here he is after going down the steep steps to look under the Podgill viaduct.

Charlie doesn’t seem to get tired.  He runs everywhere and dad is suggesting that he is fitted with  a chariot to help when I get tired.  

Then I can sit in it and he can pull… Sounds like a good idea to me.

Being a popular walking place for dogs of all sizes and a great haven for wildlife new sniffs were everywhere.

Here I am investigating a very strong smell in some rough grass.  

Charlie isn’t into general sniffing yet as he is far too keen in trying to cover the ground and tying mum in knots with the leads.

Our walk passed two former platelayers sheds. These had pictures and bench seats in so you could maybe shelter from the weather and learn a bit more about the area.

One of the sheds had a lookout point so we could keep watch whilst mum read the words on the walls.

I have to say those old builders thought of everything but the dogs back then must have been a lot smaller to get through these doorways.

Our walk was almost at an end once we had crossed the fields back to the main roads of Kirkby Stephen.  

We liked the walk and have made a note to come back in a few months to see what new sniffs and plants we can spot.  

Thats all for now

Buster and Charlie.

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Kirkby Stephen – to Hartley.. our adventures continue

After spending a few hours investigating Appleby we have moved further down the A66 and, taking a right turn off the bypass, have arrived at Kirkby Stephen.

Being an ancient town it features many historical stories and old curiosities as well as all of the modern considerations of life.

We parked the car in a free car park next to the auction market and walked into the town square, through a narrow alleyway. 

Exiting onto the main road crossedthe main road and into the main town square area.

It looks as if this area has recently been redeveloped as it all looks clean and very tidy.  To our left is a church, in front a newsagents and just behind it the public toilets.  

A sign on the wall indicated Frank’s Bridge, and bridges usually go over water and that means paddling.  We pulled mum and dad along as we searched for the fun.

Down some steps and between some houses we came upon the bridge.

It is a narrow bridge with a low green bank on the other side.

We crossed and swinging back on ourselves, scuttled into the cooling water of the River Eden.

It became clear quite quickly that this water was quite cool so after filling ourselves up with water we escaped into the warmish winter sun and the rest of our explorations.

We had a choice here, to follow the path ahead or to turn right and along a tarmac path. 

Given that we were soggy, we needed to stay out of the mud, so we opted for the path, following the river upstream.

The path led through a metal kissing gate and up the side of quite a steep field.

A number of seats were positioned to the left of the path so you could take in the ever changing view.

The highest of these is dedicated to Ted Rushton and this is the view from it back towards the town.

Through a big gate at the top of this field and we exit into the village of Hartley.

Things got a little confusing here but we thought we should keep going up.  Just incase we were missing out on a good view.  So we turned right and came across a very old bridge

It looked as if this solid stone plinth of a bridge had been here for hundreds of years.  The rusty railings did nothing to encourage you to use them for support.

After crossing we pondered for a moment to get our bearings and to think about the history of the bridge. How many people over the years had crossed it and what stories it maybe able to tell.

Continuing our theme of going right, we spotted a white sign between two cars that indicated footpath.

Leading alongside the stream and past a dry stone wall, bulging under the pressure from tree roots and the moving earth, we exited onto a tarmac chipped road.  

Left took us down hill but to our right was open sky, maybe the view we were looking for, so up the steep hill we walked. Mum said her calfs were hurting, she should try having four paws…

We were not to be disappointed and the climb was well worth it as we came upon a view above the town and to the fells beyond.

Hartley Quarry, now owned by Cemex, was ahead and a wooden noticeboard with the grand carved banner of the Northern Viaduct Trust was to our right.

Here started the next part of our adventure.  You can read about it soon.

 

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Putting the lights up in Appleby

We have had a busy day today with an early Sunday start.

Our day started with a car journey towards the East and our first stop was Appleby

Many people know this small town for the horse festival that takes place here every year.

 

Parking the car in the car park of the Appleby War Memorial Swimming pool we walked across the food defence barriers and onto the river path.

The path leads alongside the River Eden and towards bridge shown at the top of this article.

Flooding is a problem in this area and the height of the River Eden here is often used as a  warning to flooding risk further down the Eden in Carlisle.

 

Following the road from the bridge and into the town we make our way up the hill on our adventure.

Christmas is coming to Appleby as we pass the volunteers putting up the Christmas lights.

Hundreds of coloured lamps are being removed from their cardboard sleeves and then hung from the strings of wire around the town.

Half way up the hill we look through an open gate and into a lovely courtyard.

The courtyard is surrounded by a number of cottages, all with bright red doors, and form the Hospital of St.Anne.

Founded by The Lady Anne Clifford these houses, known as Almshouses are still in use and offer homes for widows from the area.

The cobbled courtyard is open to the public most days and is well worth a visit.

Outside the entrance to Appleby Castle is the High Cross.  It dates from the 17th Centures and has on the town facing side the inscription ’Retain your loyalty, preserve your rights’

A bench mark cut exists on the west face of the cross on the base just above the steps. These marks are used in map and survey works by the Ordnance Survey.

The windvane is dated 1936.

At the top of the lime tree avenue is Appleby Castle.

 

Sadly the castle can only be observed through the padlocked gates.  

Large white notices attached to the gates indicated the castle may not be open to the general public.  It is privately owned.

The castle was founded at the beginning of the 12th Century.

Lady Anne Clifford made the property her home and restored large parts of it.

To the right of the gates is the North Lodge.

When we visited a cardboard film character peers out onto visitors.

We walked back down the hill and back to the car as we needed to get to our next adventure in a place called Kirkby Stephen.  

More on this tomorrow, when will find out why our paws are a bit sore now and why we need a good nights sleep.

Until tomorow

Charlie and Buster.

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Autumn leaves and winter approaches …

Dodging the rain showers we managed to get to the park.  

We like Bitts Park because it has wide paths, which help us stay dry and clean, and also it is reasonably quiet so we can get a bit of a run about.

Following the recent cold spells the leaves on the trees have turned into their autumn colours and have started to fall in large amount

 Fireworks

Buster and I are now fed up with the fireworks.  People have been setting them off around us for a few weeks now.  Buster just barks at the bangs whilst I try and find what has been shot.

It is in my blood,  I listen to the number of bangs then recover the fallen foul.  I must have something wrong, or my neighbours are really a bad shot, but I just don’t seem to see them fall from the sky. 

Please can you either improve your shot or give up, it is frustrating us both.

It is now a week since the public bonfire in the City.  The park looks in a right state going into the winter.  I don’t think the grass will grow back in time for the summer.  It could do with a bit of a rolling and some new seed put onto it.

The music was very loud.  We could hear it from over a mile away.  I watched the fireworks from the bathroom window once dad picked me up.  My feet got a little cold whilst I balanced my back legs on the sink and my front paws on the windowsill.

Dad kept tight hold of me whilst I watched, so I was in little danger.  I enjoyed watching the big round sparkly colours and told Buster all about them later.

Flood defence update.

 It seems as if this phase of the work is nearing completion. 

A ramp and a flight of stairs has been installed to get you to and from the path that runs above the path however we cant seem to see how you will get to the underpass and the city centre.  Maybe all will become clear when they remove the barriers.

The notices have gone up in an area not far from here, in Melbourne Street, to say that works start there in December and up to about February.

 

 

Queen Victoria Memorial

Within Bitts Park is an area known as Victoria Park.  

A memorial to Queen Victoria stands proud over the well kept gardens and the recent flood defence work.

Maybe you know a little about the history of the area and can add to the article over on Heritage and History.

Thats all for now except to mention an article brought to our attention in a national newspaper.

The Telegraph is reporting a consultation as part of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and pet welfare.

The guidelines cover the environment for animals, diet, the company they enjoy, ensuring they exhibit normal behaviour patterns, as well as health and welfare issues.

The code of practice for dogs advises against taking a dog for a walk during the hottest part of the day or feeding it less than an hour before vigorous exercise in order to avoid “bloating”.

Owners should groom dogs with long hair at least once a day and all dogs should have teeth cleaned with dog chews or canine toothpaste as part of routine care.

Bill Wiggin, the Tory spokesman on animal welfare, said the new codes are “absurd”

So what are your thoughts?  Let us know via the comments area below.

 

That is all for now

Charlie and buster

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Three portions a day …

The latest report from insurance provider LV= has shown that health concerns have led to a surge in pet owners changing their pets’ diets and swapping meat for vegetables and fruit.

40% of pet owners now feed their pets up to three portions of fruit and veg a day and according to the new research there are now more than 145,000 cats and dogs in the UK on a vegetarian diet.

In turning their animals vegetarian, these pet owners are following celebrity dog-owners who feed their dogs a vegan and vegetarian diet respectively.

One of the main reasons for the trend in vegetable heavy diets is the perceived health benefit, with 42% of pet owners who have increased the number of vegetables in their pets’ diet saying they have done so to improve the health of their animal.

16% of pet owners said they simply follow Government nutritional advice for humans, such as eating five portions of vegetable and fruit a day, and apply it to their pet.

According to the report, other reasons given include the cheaper cost of a vegetarian diet (12%), because organic pet food is a waste of money (29%) and because it’s more ethical (4%). Just one in four (24%) of the UK’s cats and dogs now exist on a meat-only diet.

The most popular vegetables to give to pets are carrots (19%), potatoes (12%) and peas (11%).

As well as pets eating more vegetables, the research shows that 13% of UK pets are given vitamin or vegetable supplements daily.

Health-conscious owners say they have noticed a range of improvements from their veggie-eating pets, from fewer health problems (27%), glossier coats (21%), and a better digestion (28%), to loss of weight (13%).

Emma Holyer, Spokesperson for LV=, said:
“As this research shows there are thousands of cats and dogs consuming vegetables in their diets without any problems. In fact, these diets are well known for relieving arthritis, skin and fur problems and obesity in dogs.

“However, pet owners thinking of putting their pet on a vegetable only diet should check with their vet. Cats cannot survive on a vegetarian diet and will need specialist supplements, and although dogs can survive, a sudden change in diet is likely to cause problems. Animals are just like humans in that they need a mixture of minerals and vitamins to keep them healthy, and cutting out whole food groups, like protein, can seriously damage their health.”

Survey Source

The research was carried out on behalf of LV= by YouGov. A nationally representative sample of 2,050 pet owners were questioned online between 9th and 11th September 2008. Results are weighted to be representative of the UK adult population. YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council.

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A walk from Glasson Dock, Lancaster

With the coast to our left we left Glasson Dock near Lancaster behind and started along the coastal path towards the City of Lancaster.

Mum and Dad visited here a few weeks ago whilst researching an article for our other site Heritage and History and they thought it would be worth revisiting with us.

We parked the car in the main car park by the waters edge in Glasson and after making sure no cars, or motorbikes were approaching crossed the road on onto the sea path.

This first part of the path is bordered to our left by the sea wall and to our right grass around one stretchy lead wide.

This gave us chance to sniff and play in the grass and have a good run about after our car ride here.

 

After about half a mile the path narrows and the grass verge stops and you start to walk on a cinder like path.

The path is firm, well drained and is used by bikes, walkers and horses.

Following the bay the path offers some great views of the marshland and the water beyond.  

We continue over an old bridge with high black railings and the sea underneath.  Charlie wants to go for a swim. Little does he know the water tastes of salt and is not nice.

Just after the bridge we come across a carpark with toilets, dog waste bags and bins and even a plastic tub with water in for us.  We take a drink and walk up the steady slope to where an information sign is placed marking the entrance to the next part of our adventure.

The sign has a big number 6 at the top and pictures and words for mum to read.

It seems, after mum has read the sign, that we are standing on the old platform of the London and North Western Railway Company.

The Condor Green station, on this single track rail line closed in 1930.

 

A number of picnic tables are available on this raised area for you to have your lunch whilst looking out onto the bay.  

After a short while Buster notices that the surface of the path changes. A strip of cobbles lies across his path and he is not sure why.  He investigates but can’t figure out why.  Maybe someone knows and can leave a comment below?

 

A bridge is ahead of us and we must investigate.

Screwed into the side of the bridge are these brackets. No longer it seems being used for anything we wonder what was their purpose. 

Vandals have painted their marks on this bit of heritage but you can still see the black sooty marks left by trains hauled by steam passed under the bridge.

We had to turn around just beyond this point as we were out of time.  So we leave more of the adventure for another day.

We have put more pictures from our adventure into the gallery below.

Until next time

Charlie and Buster

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National Pet Sitters

Mum was surfing the web tonight and she came across a website called http://www.dogsit.com.  According to their website they are ‘the largest Pet Care organisation in the UK’.

Their website goes on to say ‘Over the past 13 years we have registered more than 8,000 petsitters throughout the country. Members offer a range of caring petsitting services while owners are away on holiday or at work etc. Services include: Homeboarding for all pets, House sitting, Day Care / Daily Visits, Cat Visiting, Dog Walking, Small Pet / Bird Care etc. ’

It goes on to say.’National Petsitters (NARP) was founded by Robin Taylor in 1993. He realised the need  for an association to promote the services of, and  represent and support the many individuals and agencies who were offering petcare services. Statistically, less than 30% of dog and cat owners in the UK use boarding kennels or catteries, with the majority either choosing never to be parted from their pets or relying upon friends, neighbours, relatives or “sitters” to provide care’.

Has anyone had experience of this service?  Are other similar services available?

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The blister returns …

This morning my Dad noticed that the Carlisle blister has returned.  

In sight of Carlisle Castle the cover offers dry facilities for tennis players on the public courts.

According to the Carlisle Council website  the Bitts Park tennis air dome was put out of operation after vandals slashed the polythene around 30 times on Monday, 10 March, causing it to deflate. Vandals appeared to have scaled a protective nine-foot high fence to cause the damage.

The local Newspaper, The News and Star, say that a 17-year-old boy, who caused the damage to the dome, was spoken to by police in March.

The £280,000 Carlisle City Council project, which included the dome, was made possible after £125,000 funding from the Lawn Tennis Association and other partner funding agreements was secured.

Fireshow

Under clear blue skies,and with the air ambulance flying overhead, the final preparations are being made to the city bonfire.

With the theme of ‘Wheels on Fire’ the bonfire set to be a roaring success.

Carlisle City Council staff, local volunteers and firework experts – the Black Powder Monkeys – are currently setting the scene for the explosive event and are laying hundreds of pallets to create the bonfire.

This year’s Carlisle City Council Fireshow is themed around some dazzling ‘Wheels on Fire’. Staged in Bitts Park, the sparkling spectacular will be the 22nd Fireshow event.

The giant bonfire will include a car, with flaming wheels.

More than 2,000 spectacular fireworks will also make sure the event goes with a ‘bang’.

The Fireshow will start at 7pm. Admission is free, although collections will be made for the Mayor’s Charity Fund and Rotary Club Carlisle (South).

Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service is giving their support for this year’s City Council Fireshow alongside other local businesses and is advising people to attend organised bonfires where safety is a priority.

They will also be using the event to promote their free home safety check service and their free installation of smoke detectors, both of which can be organised by telephoning 0800 358 477.

Due to last weekend’s heavy rainfall and conditions under foot, visitors are recommended to wear suitable footwear such as wellingtons and walking boots and to take extreme care when they are walking in and around Bitts Park. They are also recommended to arrive early to ease traffic congestion.

More than 35,000 people are expected to attend the City Council organised event.

The Bitts Park spectacular is organised by Carlisle City Council in conjunction with the Black Powder Monkeys.