The ‘Phantom’ Badger

~ beetleypete

With Ollie more or less back to his old self after the recent illness, it is good to see him so active again. Unfortunately, it also means he is back to bullying some younger dogs that he wants to dominate. One of those is the lovely Bertie, a Dogue de Bordeaux. (A French Mastiff, identical to the dog in the film ‘Turner and Hooch’)
This is not Bertie in the photo, but he looks just like this one.

At six months old, Bertie is already twice the size of Ollie, and he’s a big softy who loves other dogs and people. But he is not neutered, so Ollie has decided he must submit to him. Even though Bertie is happy to do this, Ollie keeps growling at him until he becomes scared. So when I spotted Bertie in the river with two other dogs, I quickly diverted over to Hoe Rough so that Ollie would not be able to start bullying him.

Now that there were no playmates to romp with, I needed to find something to divert him. As we got to the spot where he chased a badger some time back, he stopped and sniffed at the ground. His ‘smell memory’ is amazing to behold, and he has never forgotten the exact spot here he got the scent of that badger last time. I pretended to see a badger in some far off bracken, and using a low tone of voice, I hissed, “Ollie! Badger! Find it”.

He took off in pursuit of what wasn’t there, and had a good run around for more than ten minutes trying to find the phantom badger.

45 thoughts on “The ‘Phantom’ Badger”

  2. Well looks like old ollie is back again. I am so happy to see the little man getting healthier day by day. I am so happy 😊. Told you, Pete, nothing will happen to Ollie. He is a fighter and he will live a long long life. Now you take care and stop worrying mister. 💖✌😊

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      1. I see what you mean. Yes, I think it’s an age thing as our dog was the same way in older years. I’ve often wondered if they didn’t care as much about playmates when they were older. Best to you, Pete.

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  4. We have been watching “Dogs behaving badly” on TV and it makes us feel so grateful that we have never had those problems, especially as all our dogs have been rescue dogs. Of course it usually turns out it is the owner who needs help. You and Ollie seem to have a great understanding. Best Wishes.

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  6. Awww. I use the words, “find it” with my itty bitty Finn. Love Ollie and his life well-lived with his awesome Dad 💚. Glad your healthy ol’ boy! (Ollie) and you take care too Mr. Pete!

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