Friends Letters
Hi, I always love reading the newsletter and the articles about our beloved Irish Terriers that I had to share this little tale with you. Picture the scene, Friday evening, the end of a long week at work, a large glass of Baileys with plenty of ice foolishly left beside you on the floor... enter one very cheeky Irish terrier named Rosie who, before my very eyes carefully lifts the glass and carries it away to her favourite hidey hole under the dining room table and begins to drink....!!!! |
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The glass was intact and not a drop of Baileys spilt. I couldn't quite believe my eyes. She was so very pleased with herself!! With best wishes, Caroline Russell
Lucy and Jane, Florrie is in great form. About three months again she was unable to get out of bed and I thought her time was up but the vet changed her heart pills to Fortekor from VetMed and also put her on Frusemide as well. Initially there was a bit of coughing but she has gone from strength to strength although is quite happy to sleep if we are not up to much. I went to a 50th birthday party on Friday night and left Florrie in the car as there were just too many people there. Needless to say madam had other thoughts and barked solidly until I brought her in at midnight! She has developed a snore which almost equals mine. She will be 14 this year and is finding it a little hard to jump up onto the bed so I got a stool which is about a metre by a metre to make it easier for her to get up. However Florrie has now decided that at our age that we should have separate beds and the stool has become her bed. She pops up for a chat when we go to bed and then retires to her stool. I bought a child’s duvet for it which she loves. I must tell you a story which happened before my
accident. We were out on Inish Bofin, an island off the west coast of
Connemara
. I was walking her along the road one
afternoon in the east village where we stay. Picture a row of 20 to 30
cottages fronting out onto a natural horseshoe harbour when she suddenly
disappeared. I thought she had slipped in between one of the cottages but I
searched high and low which much calling and whistling and no sign of her.
In the end decided to start at one end of the village and work my way back
knocking on doors asking people to keep an eye out for her. When I got to
roughly where she disappeared I knocked on a door which was opened by a holiday
maker. Behind her sitting in an armchair was Florrie. It turned out the lady had
opened the front door to flick a cigarette butt out the door and Florrie had
shot in and jumped into an armchair! Anyway surrounding Florrie were half a
dozen kids and a few more mothers all tempting Florrie with everything from
cocktail sausages to cream scones. Panic over but knowing my dog only too well
now came the job of getting her out of there. In my sweetest voice I tried to
coax her out but Florrie had other ideas - sensible dog that she is, and looked
at me as if to say ‘Dad, you can come and collect me in an hour or so when I’ve
had my fill. To cut a long story short Madam had to be rather unceremoniously
dragged out by her collar which was highly embarrassing. I can only wonder what
the people had to say about how cruel an owner I was after the door shut.
Meanwhile I led an Irish Terrier home which looked more like a hyena after a
buffalo kill with a very extended stomach. Regards Dermot
Response Dear Dermot, Thank you so much for your email. We love your letters and will put it up on the letters page. Getting on the right side of friends when you’ve done a disappearing trick has happened twice to me. Once with Princess Beega, who disappeared on Hampstead Heath behind a crocodile of school children, and was found an hour later taking tea with a very concerned lady who lived on the edge of The Heath. This was ten years ago and I still hear regularly from her. Her letters are full of greetings to ‘her lovely Irish Terrier’. Hattie, one from a previous generation of family dogs, disappeared from the Salt Marshes in Lymington and was found sitting by someone’s fire eating buttered toast and completely terrorising their old Labradors who were hiding behind the front door. We can’t believe we’ve never met Florrie but we all love her anyway. Many greetings, love to Florrie, Lucy and Jane
I love Lucy’s books and have quite a few of them. My favorite is .. for Irish Terriers & Other Dogs Too. I just found your website today. In the photo, Pippin is on the left and Mike on the right (Mike has the one ear up. Pip looks like he’s sniffing the flower.)
Mike will be nine years old in January. He is our first IT and has been an incredible ambassador for the breed her in the upper Midwest of the US. I did agility with him for several years; in January we hope to enter a program at a local hospital so he can become a certified therapy dog. They have never taken any terrier into the program, but Mike impressed them with his attitude and kindness and he has been invited back for further temperament testing…. I’m very proud of him. Pippin will be two next March. We just brought him into our family this past July. While Mike is a few inches over the standard for the breed, Pip is 1/2 “ under the standard – which made him too small for the show ring since the dogs he would show against are actually large for the standard. Show ring’s loss, our gain! He is a real snuggler and a very well-behaved little gent. He certainly fires up when he has critters and other dogs to bark at, but quite calm around the house. My husband and I do travel frequently and take the boys with us whenever we can, so they (Mike in particular) have been all over the US impressing people with the charming qualities of an Irish Terrier. People think Pip is a puppy next to Mike, but I tell them there are different sizes of any dog breed just like there are different sized people. Sometimes we just call them Mike and Mini-Mike J
Thanks for your interest in my boys. I’ve attached a few other photos. Judi
From John Heap
“You gave us such encouragement about our Irish Terrier Dooley and he’s grown up so quickly. We’ve survived his puppyhood and now have an amazing, wonderful, naughty loving, bright, gorgeous ‘lad’ who seduces all (adults and children) who meet him.
Hi Lucy, my "Mick" is 14 months old name Murphy, I live in NZ in a semi rural location, Murphy is a natural hunter and excels at it, I return home and the mayhem he may cause up the forest is matched by the gentle nature he shows with my two kids around the house. I love him he is my dog and my mate and not only acts on command words but reads your expression no words needed, they are a brilliant breed, like you I get stopped all the time "wow what a great dog" I beam with pride, like Murphy as I am Irish too.
Mike Nugent Morning to you both, I hope you have had a better summer than we have had in Ireland. Florrie is her usual bouncy self and everybody who meets her can't believe how old she is! In May, Florrie got sunstroke on our May Bank Holiday in about the only sun we have had all summer. A big lesson for the future as she was actually in the shade for most of the day. We have been in Dublin a lot this year which Florrie loves as it means lots of public park walks for her and many exciting ‘P mails’ to read and reply to. Apart from her usual fan base which she adds to every day, numerous photos of her have gone back to America. American tourists simply love her, with the usual cry of, “Is that a real live Irish Terrier.” I have so far resisted the reply of “No, she's the latest in Japanese Doggy Robot technology etc.” I have some pic's of Florrie in the west of Ireland in a curragh which I will send on to you, very picturesque! We have water-skied through the bad weather and Florrie has found where the mink live by the lake and has become very interested in them. Not sure what is going to happen when she actually meets one! We have a temporary new addition to the family, a small black kitten, which I found on the road. Florrie is dealing with it very well. The kitten has taken to tormenting Florrie at every possible opportunity and baring a few warning growls. Warfare hasn't broken out although Florrie has taken to wandering around muttering “kill kitty” under her breath. Hoping to find a home soon for the little thing. Life, as always, is a fuller happier place with herself by my side. Regards Dermot
Dear Mrs Jackson, Thank you so much for writing a book about the Irish Terrier. There are no books in Dutch about my favourite dog but your book was perfect for me. It has given me lots and lots of great information. My Irish terrier Diesel will be two years old next weekend. I just adore him. He is a real Irish Terrier and very very naughty. He makes me laugh but also is my best friend in troubled times. He's a friend for life! I can send you pictures if you like. Sincerely, Annemarie Dales
Letter from Vera Deak
I am also very pleased to see "dogs from my home" (Hungary) appear in an English website. Kind regards,
Have a look on our features page for the photographs Regards,
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