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Helvi Oosterman
Milo moves out…
Milo is a dog who knows what he wants. When he turned into a grown-up dog, when he stopped being a puppy, he decided that he was ready to sleep outside. It was more exciting to be out there with the wombats, kangaroos and the occasional blue tongue lizard, and all the weird Australian birds.
The cold did not bother him; frosty nights of Southern Tablelands did not drive him inside. He popped in on Tuesday nights to watch The Inspector Rex, but only if the little boys happened to be visiting the farm. The old sofa on the big verandah was his bedroom. Surrounded by many cushions, which he nightly arranged into a cosy bed, he was off to doggy dreamland only to scratch the door in the morning to be let in to share breakfast with us.
When we moved into a new home and surroundings, we thought it best that for time being he’ll sleep inside. The huge floor cushion made of an old Persian or Afghan carpet, bought in Byron Bay, became the base of Milo’s new bed. He made clear it was too rough even for a rough-coated Jack Russell, and I had to add one of those large European style pillows for softness. He now had a proper double decker, and he was happy.
There is a right time for everything, and when we discovered that the Bowral’s more humid warmer weather had brought the fleas, which we never had in Brayton, Milo had to move out, or at least sleep outside. We bought a little Doggy House with a blue roof and over-hanging eaves to keep the rains out. Hubby and other family member were doubtful about this house moving. I knew that it would be successful. The time was indeed right and Milo was ready to sleep away from us again.
Yesterday our old neighbours visited us with their three year old daughter. It was a warm day and we had the doors to the street and to the garden open for a breeze. As we were all talking excitedly, happy to see each other and to share news, we did not notice that Hannah was not around anymore. We rushed upstairs, checked the bedrooms, the front and the back garden…no Hannah.
And then, there she was, crawling red-faced out of Milo’s little house…
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
Eerily quiet everywhere, have people gone back to work, or on holidays with ABC moderators.
We were walking on the main street yesterday, with Milo of course, when a sophisticated looking lady smiled at gez and said: Spoilt, isn’t he !
Not at all, said he.
Looks like he is, said the lady.
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I could understand the comment if Milo was being pushed in a pram or was riding in your handbag. Or was the comment directed at Gerard and not Milo?
By the way, how old is Milo.
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No, the comments are always for Milo, never for me. Not even a single pat, not ever.
All I get, especially during warm weather., the occasional glance down into the decolletage of a sophisticated lady bending to pat Milo, even then I often and with some modestly look away.
It’s not easy being a dog walker.
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Hey Hung,
Care to share a bit of Billabong de-alc and 0.5%
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Its amazing Gez. Leading up to Christmas I wasn’t drinking and the only place to get dealcoholised wine was from Dan Murphy’s so I did the right thing and got the usual
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That’s even more amazing Hung One.Keep ot up and I’ll share the good news with Milo.
Keep up the Billabong I mean.
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Gez and the little boys (when here during holidays) love to watch The Man Versus Nature on SBS. As there was nothing else for me, I too settled down to keep company with the BOYS.
I opened Gez’s favourite bottle of Shiraz, took out the left-overs from yesterdays lunch party, and then having to almost vomit when watching this hero of all little boys to eat living grubs crawling out of a tree stump…I better be off…
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I’m certainly not letting Lola see this photo – she would freak out. I thought all Jack Russells slept in beds in the house.
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Viv, when we bought the farm from this English antique dealer she told us that her dogs slept on her bed, her husband stayed in Sydney mainly.
We had a Border Collie, her son, Border Collie cross Kelpie, and Jack Russell cross Beagle, they all slept outside and obviously kept each other warm;they never wanted to overnight in the house. We had a high walled courtyard, so the winds were kept away…later on we put up those vinyl/ plastic(?) roll-up blinds and then even my Petunias and Geraniums flowered all winter, quite amazing.
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As a pup, Milo was bought from a family in Goulbourn who were truly gentle and dog loving people. Anyway, after the deal was done Milo was separated from his mum and taken to our car. He sat in Helvi’s lap shaking like a leaf all the way back to the farm.
For the next few days I slept on the floor with little Milo on my chest. He would snug up to right underneath my chin each time.
He’s a big boy now and more than secure. He ignores me.
Typical.
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Very handsome new doggy digs. The next thing you know he’ll be throwing wild parties.
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Nothing wild happening here, we are Finnish; since I have taken over Milo’s upbringing, his obedience training has been rather successful 🙂
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Gorgeous photo, Helvi; and a lovely story too.
PS: 😉 I knew it was this Milo you were talking about carrying around in your purse all along! I’ll bet that’s why he’s now so much ‘your’ dog; he probably loves the smell of your armpits! And being carried around all day like a Pasha! Poor old Gez doesn’t stand a chance if it weren’t for feeding him in the arvos…
🙂
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I’ll have to take a picture of of my often-mentioned handbag, just to proof to you all that it is almost big enough to be Milo’s mobile home…
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You don’t need to prove it to us Helvi… we believe you!
🙂
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Milo has become much more your dog lately, Helvi. When I get up, which is often before you, he hardly stirs , in fact he avoids eye contact. However, when he hears you getting up, he leaps up and greets you as a long lost friend.
However, it is in the afternoon when hunger pangs start to play a role that he will stare at me till I get up and feed him. I suppose he is not that silly to ignore me when it comes to food.
Lovely story.
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Takes one hungry man to know when a male dog is asking for food…
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PS. I asked Gerard to take a pic of Milo’s new house, lo and behold Milo must have heard us talking about him and his real estate and promptly planted himself into the picture.
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Interestingly Helvi, the best thing that ever happened to our Tenterfield Terrier was to move him outside. His behaviour improved and he became great company. Sadly he was killed but at least I know that the last few years of his life he was happy.
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Hung, the family thought that it would take many tries and a lot of coaching to get him to sleep outside, even I did not think that it would so easy. I have to say that maybe putting his old European pillow there as a mattress might have helped, I did not change the pillowcase 🙂
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Yes we used the same trick on Diesel but with his blanky.
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My friends’ dogs who have been my friends by allowance of their servant humans have been attached to ‘blankies’.
I’ve been dragging a soft, thin quilt to put behind my bad back to sit down and I could use another, but that one’s become…ahem…blanky.
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Spelling is not my strong point shoe
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HOO, I really like the spelling you have for blanky. My ahem was admission I currently have one. 🙂
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Hope you are on the mend shoe, I am too unwell to go to work today, got a virus, so I just have to play at the Pigs
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Maybe too much Shiraz , Hung 🙂
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Probably H, either too much or not enough 🙂
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