A visit to the vet leads to the dentist chair...

My human took me to the vet for my annual check-up and vaccination. Dr. N, has been looking after me this year and fully understands this beagle's fear of the slippery examination table. After all, I've already visited her three times this year (once for the follow-up examination for my urinary problem, once for a ear infection and now for my annual check-up). She doesn't mind getting onto the floor to examine me. although it's not the most comfortable position for her. She is also the first vet to discover the best way to give me my jabs. I hate needles and needless to say, there is a lot of struggling involved whenever the vet tries to give me my injections. My human sometimes fears that someone else may get jabbed by mistake. Anyway, Dr. N discovered the trick is to get my human to carry me, instead of trying to hold me down as I tend to struggle more. Then the good doctor, with her awful needle ready, does her job quickly, followed by treats for the good beagle :-0

Anyway, Dr. N suggested that a proper dental check-up, which for canines involve going under anesthesia, may be appropriate since there is evidence of plague on my teeth. She can then do a thorough cleaning, check and extract any rotting tooth. My humans only brush my teeth once a week and I suppose over 10 years, issues could arise. My humans were understandably concerned about me having to go under anesthesia but they also are aware that oral issues can lead to serious health problems. After getting feedback from fellow bloggers, some of whom have recently gone for the dental check-up, my humans decided to go ahead with the surgery, which will also include a comprehesive blood test, also a first for this beagle. The dreaded surgery is next Friday. My humans still worry but know that it's better to do it now whilst my health is still good. The last time I went under anesthesia was when I was spayed many many years ago. Fingers crossed...

Beagle turned 10...(2 weeks ago)

I'm alive and well folks in case you're wondering about the very long silence...As usual, it's my human's fault. She has been on the road or in the air and have not had time to blog. So, this beagle's birthday blog is 2 weeks late. Yeap, I am now now 10 years old. Old age is catching up. I am very much whiter now. This was me when I was 6 years old.

This is me at 10 years old. See how much fairer I am?

I'm also on daily glucosamine and propalin for joint and urinary control. I may need to get a thorough dental check-up(which unfortunately requires going under general anesthetic...My humans are still considering this and would love to hear your experiences and thoughts.) I need to stretch more before I get up and I can't go for super long walks anymore. But, my appetite is great and life is generally good. Anyway, for my birthday treat this year, my human found a healthy cookie recipe that combined all my favourite food - banana, carrot and apple. The result - a very happy beagle and friends(my canine neighbours each got a cookie too).

My humans also gave me a yummy dinner of chicken and carrot on a bed of rice and kibbles. Needless to say, this beagle did not leave anything on the bowl. Not a bad birthday treat at all :-)

Explore Hong Kong with Kess - Shek O Beach

Spring is well and truly here. This beagle doesn't need any winter outfits or blankets anymore. Hurray! The weather was gorgeous yesterday - blue skies, cool weather. My humans decided to go to Shek O beach in the evening, a lovely beach located on the south of Hong Kong island. Obviously, we weren't the only one with the same idea so it took us a while to find parking but we did!

In Hong Kong, dogs are generally not allowed on beaches during summer. But since people don't usually go to the beaches during winter, there is kind of an unwritten rule that dogs are allowed during winter. Well, since it's not technically winter and the beach was quite full with people, my humans decided to let me watch from a distance instead. In any case. this beagle is not really a big fan of water, so I was happy to admire the sea from the walkway.


We then walked through the small town of Shek O towards a nearby walking trail by the sea. At the start of the trail, there is a lovely chinese style home.


Since spring is a popular time for weddings, we saw at least a dozen couples having their wedding pictures taken in beautiful Shek O. In fact, I managed to get my picture taken with one of the couples...in the background.


All in all, it was a really fun first outing to the beach for this beagle. To top it off, I got to spend some quality time with my humans...

The Airport Beagle

My humans saw this beagle sign at the Taoyuan airport in Taipei and naturally could not resist taking a photograph. The beagle says "Declare or be fined! You must declare all animals, plants or their products on arrival in Taiwan..."

Beagles sniff - which is why we walk with our nose to the ground...


or in the air sniffing something 90% of the time!


More importantly, beagles are very good at sniffing out food, which is why we make such good airport sniffer dogs!

Sleeping Beauty

It's been a cold first winter for this beagle. The cold weather has its advantages. I get to go on nice long walks with my humans to explore Hong Kong's country parks and other famous tourist places like the Peak.

However, it also means a change in the way I sleep. This is how I sleep:

during the day...


...and during the night


By the pictures, you would have thought that I'm in the Artic instead of Hong Kong. But don't forget that this beagle has spent 9 1/2 years in all-year-round tropical Malaysia where I used to be able to sleep on the bare floor!


Yawn! Looking at all these sleeping photos makes me sleepy...Time for some ZZZs, with the blanket, of course :-)

Discover Hong Kong with Kess - The Peak's Hong Kong Trail

Many visitors to Hong Kong don't know that the Peak is the starting point of the Hong Kong trail, a 50 km walking route that spans across Hong Kong island. In fact, my humans who used to visit Hong Kong regularly in past years never knew about this until we came here to live.

Exploring Stage 1 of the Hong Kong trail is a fun and free way to get a view of Hong Kong. Instead of forking out HKD30 to go up the Sky Terrace at the Peak Tower, you can get a view and some exercise by walking this easy paved trail. The trail which starts at Lugard Road, continues all the way to the Pok Fu Lam Reservoir. However, if you're only interested to get a 360 view of Hong Kong, you can turn off at Harlech Road and head back to the Peak.



This is exactly what we did on one of our past trips to the Peak. That time we drove up to the Peak and did this leisurely walk. My humans figured that hiking up to the Peak from our home and combining that with this one hour walk may be too much for this old beagle (I turn 10 this April).

At the start of Lugard Road, you will see a lovely colonial building which serves as the headquarters for the Peak Tram Manager.


As you keep going, you will get to see the Peak Tower in the background.


It was a cloudy morning, so the view of Hong Kong was pretty gloomy. But I would imagine that it would look pretty spectacular on a blue sky day.


Honestly though, this beagle wasn't as interested in the views. I much prefer checking out the scents. And boy oh boy, there were lots of interesting scents to sniff out - from other canines, squirrels and other little creatures...


Naturally, I could not resist leaving some scents of my own during our hour-long circular walk!
.

So there you have it, a cheap fun way to see the island and get some exercise so that you don't feel guilty for pigging out during your vacation!

Discover Hong Kong with Kess - The Peak

A visit to Hong Kong is not complete without a visit to the Peak, the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island, at 552 metres high. There are many transportation options up to the Peak - buses, taxis and cars. A popular tourist option is via the Peak tram. You can catch the tram from the Garden Road Peak Tram Lower Terminus.

Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed on board the tram, so this beagle and my humans decided to hike up to the Peak via the Old Peak Road. As you can imagine, hiking up the Peak meant going up a very steep path.
After the 30 minute climb, we reach the Peak. What's at the Peak? Well, on a lovely clear day, you can go up the Peak Tower (dogs not allowed unfortunately), and see this stunning view of Hong Kong.


Apart from the gorgeous view, the Peak ia a cool place (literally as it's so high up, as well as figuratively) to hang out. There is a lovely old style brick cafe that could be in a countryside somewhere in Europe. Instead, it's located right here in cosmopolitan Hong Kong.

You can sit and watch the world go by, or in our case, catch our breath after our very steep climb...

You can also shop and dine. We decided to stop by Starbucks for a cup of coffee...well my humans had their cuppa whilst I had water and liver treats.

Rejuvenated by caffeine and a short rest, we head down the very steep path and back to home sweet home where this beagle has a well deserved rest.

A perfect way to spend the weekend, don't you think?