Every day at the end of our walk Scully gets a good rub over with an old towel because if she hasn't jumped in a stream or the sea, she has run through the bush and become dew or rainwater soaked.
Following that and a drink of water we start the process of plucking all the hook grass seeds out of her hairs - they seem to get most stuck on her face. She pokes her nose into things.
Hook grass (strictly speaking a sedge) - Carex Uncinata
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| Posing for photos improving slightly |
It's the bane of trampers/ramblers/trail hikers lives. The tiny hooks are designed to grab feathers on ground dwelling birds and be carried about for dispersal. Indiscriminately the clever things make the most of animal fur, human leg hairs and any bristly fabrics or wooly socks that brush past them.
Scully seems to be a willing vector; not quite so keen when I hold her down to pluck the seeds from around her eyes and ears.
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| (on a book cover) |
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| super enlarged. (sorry about the resolution but you can see the hook) |
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| Who? Me? |
Hi, Linda sue here, blogger thinks that I am anonymous. We have loads of fox tail grass here and it is a fright. Several visits to the vet with those things lodged in ears and working their way into dog brain. Low to the ground may be good sniffin's but not great for stickeries. Another reason to have no fur dog.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely clever grass..but poor Scully
ReplyDeleteHari Om
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be a version of this on every walking path in the world! Plants are way more clever than they're given credit for! Scully doesn't quite realise yet that having a personal groomer is one of the boons of being a blog celebrity!!! YAM xx
That's quite a haul of stickies for one small dog.
ReplyDeleteNature is wonderful, but not when she sticks where she's not wanted. Vicious little seeds.
ReplyDeleteThere are loads of ticks this summer. My friend took 5 off her dog after his morning walk one day.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever seen ticks here. We must have them but I've never seen warnings about areas woth ticks. I saw my first one on a dog after moving to UK.
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