Welcome to the www.bernieandenzo.co.uk blog.

This blog site is dedicated to the life and times of our three dogs, Bernie, Enzo and Alfie. The three dogs are miniature, long haired Dachshund's with very different personalities. Bernie is the eldest by about 6 months older than Enzo, he's calm and fairly relaxed and goes about his day in a grown up and mature manner. Enzo on the otherhand is a fiesty little dog who likes his food (We nick name him monster) and he has one heck of a loud bark which I hope doesn't annoy the neighbours too much! Alfie is the youngest of the doggies, he's two years younger than Enzo so he's the baby of the bunch.

Bernie and Enzo are 'half brothers', having the same dad called Rusty. Bernie's Kennel Club name is Sonrimar Christmas Sunset as he was born a couple of weeks before Christmas 05 and Enzo is Sonrimar Ferrari being named after the infamous car!

Alfie is Bernie's son and Lucy (friends dog) is his mum. You will see Lucy in the gallery. Alfie is only very little at the moment and he's teething but he is very fiesty and very loud. You could say he looks a lot like Bernie but has the personality of Enzo with the confidence of Bernie. Its going to be interesting to see him grow.

For those who are not familiar with the Dachshund breed, the Dachshund (nicknamed Doxie in the states) is a short-legged, elongated dog breed of the hound family. The breed's name is German and literally means badger dog (der Dachs—badger; der Hund—dog). The breed was developed to scent, chase, and hunt badgers and other hole-dwelling animals. Due to the long, narrow build, they are sometimes referred to as a sausage dog. (UK nickname) Although Dachshund is a German word, it is rarely used in Germany, where the Dachshund is known most commonly as the Dackel or Teckel.

Dachshunds are loyal, playful fun dogs, known for their propensity to chase small animals and birds with great determination and ferocity. Many dachshunds are a little strong headed, making them not as easy to train. (Enzo!) According to the American Kennel Club's breed standards, "the Dachshund is clever, lively and courageous to the point of rashness, persevering in above and below ground work, with all the senses well-developed. Any display of shyness is a serious fault. Their temperament and body language give the impression that they either do not know, or care, about their relatively small and comical stature. The Dachshund is known for his deep and soulful eyes and complex and telling facial expressions, the eyes having an "allure" that is quite commonly referenced in writings about the breed. Due to the breed's characteristic barrel-like chest, the dachshund's lungs are unusually large, making for a sonorous and richly timbred bark that belies the dog's true size.

Well I think the American Kennel Club have Bernie, Enzo and Alfie to a tee as that description is completely corrent!

For more information on the breed, please see the content menu.

We enjoy reading the feedback from the readers of this blog web site and we recently received a message from Victoria Longley telling us about her little dachshund called Gabi. Victoria explained that Gabi is a daughter of Rusty who is also the father of Bernie and Enzo. Gabi is a stunning little dog and her Kennel Club name is Sonrimar Nightshade and she is 6 months old.

Victoria has put a video of Gabi onto YouTube and you can view the video using the following link.

At last we had a sunny day so Bernie, Enzo and Alfie went for a long walk up to Capt Cooks Monument. It was an extremely sunny day and I wish all our summer days could have been like this! Alfie led the way and as you can see in the pictures he behaved perfectly off his lead, just like Enzo. However, we still have to be careful with Bernie as he likes to pick up a scent and follow it. Therefore in some of the pictures you will see Bernie on his lead while the other two are running about!

As Bernie grows, he continues to be the posh dog who will do as he pleases and you come second. Bernie has facial expressions like you would never believe and his funniest expression is the 'suprise' expression when you tell him someone is at the door or tell him he's got a new toy. It looks like genuine shock and I've been trying to capture this with the camera. Anyway, Bernie to this day is the most chilled out of the three dogs and he's also the biggest and strongest with a superb stature.

Super fast baby face Enzo has calmed down a lot in recent months and likes to be off his lead walking close by or running after a ball. I think Enzo is the quickest of the three and lives up to his Ferrari name. Enzo used to be very noisey and a bit of a cheeky trouble maker who wouldn't stop eating but he's grown up and is now the most obedient of our three. He will do whatever you say and he puts himself to bed at about the same time each night! (About 10:30pm!) But, Enzo can be a little pain when he encounters other dogs in the street or on the field, he's just not very social and will instantly be wary of any other dog. But thats something we must work on, Enzo you need to be more social!

Alfie is growing very fast and is not far behind baby face Enzo in terms of size. He's very cheeky, noisey and can eat for England and has been known to finish his meal and then start on Bernie and Enzo's. (We have to control his eating!) But, he's very active and is at perfect weight and size. Alfie gets very excited at the prospect of going for a walk and will jump around like a lamb, very funny. I believe Alfie will grow to the same size as Bernie but he needs to turn the volume down a little as the barking can be very loud sometimes!

Anyway back to the walk, if your ever stuck for something to do on a Sunday afternoon after lunch, go for a walk up to the monument. Its a gentle incline and the view at the top is stunning. Just make sure you pick a sunny day so you don't get too wet as its a bit exposed up there on the moors!

We've updated the photo gallery with some pictures of Alfie's 'sister' puppies! The pictures are of Lucy, Pepsi and Ruby and you can see how similar they look to both Bernie and Alfie! By the way, isn't the photo of Lucy the puppy on the right a great picture? Very much like Alfie, will go for a sleep anywhere and whenever they like without a care in the world.

Its been a while since we updated the site, we've been busy at home with other things but during our recent break from work Bernie, Enzo and Alfie visited Bamburgh Castle (on a very rainy day!) in July 2008

We all visited Bamburgh Castle and adjacent beach which is on the Northumberland coast, near to Lindisfarne. (Also known as Holy Island) Unfortunately it was all a bit of a wash out and it poured down with rain. However, this did not stop the dogs from enjoying themselves, especially Alfie who was soaking, covered in sand and loving it!

We'd like to go back to Bamburgh at some time in the near future when its sunny as its a great place with a fantastic beach and sand dunes to get lost in! By the way, when you are looking at the gallery, take a look at the expressions on the 3 dogs faces in the last picture, I think they look at bit annoyed that we're going home!

Bernie and Lucy's Puppies - Photo gallery updated for week 7. (8th May 2008) New photos of Alfie and the other puppies have been uploaded to the gallery in addition to some lovely pictures courtesy of Shereen.

The pups are now 7 weeks old and they are very mobile and Alfie can now climb over the puppy pen and also over the step into the garden. (He's very adventurous!) In the looks department, Alfie is very much a mini Bernie and we can confirm he will be coming to live with us on Wednesday 14th May 08. We can't wait! Two of the other puppies have also gone to good homes in Scotland and we wish them well and would love to hear how they are getting on.

We hope you like looking at our website and browsing the photos as much as we like taking them. We'd like this web site to grow and continue be our own little archive of photos of our 3 doggies as they go on their adventures over the coming years. We have a few website suprises coming up so keep an eye on the site over the coming months! We'd also like to introduce some more video footage so if we get some time we'll do some YouTube style additions!

Bernie and Lucy's Puppies - Photo gallery updated for week 6. (1st May 2008) New photos of Alfie and the other puppies have been uploaded to the gallery to show you how they are getting on. They are now 6 weeks old and the pups are clearly developing their own little personalities and Alfie looks like a mini version of Bernie! Infact, he looks a lot like Bernie as a pup, check out Bernie's early photos in the gallery.

As mentioned previously, Alfie is the light or cream coloured puppy in the photos but this time around we have named the photos to make it clear which pup is Alfie. You can see the names just below each photo in the gallery. To view the week 6 photos of the puppies, please use the following link:

Bernie and Lucy's Puppies - Photo gallery updated for week 5. (24th April 2008) This week we have 57 new photos of Alfie and the other puppies to show you. Remember, Alfie is the puppy with the lightest coloured coat, almost cream in colour like his mum Lucy. The pups are now very active and they are learning quickly what the puppy pads are for. Good dogs! Bernie and Enzo also came along to see the pups this week so you will see them featuring in some of the photos. Bernie was well behaved and playing with the puppies and Lucy. Enzo was well behaved and showed his caring side by mothering the puppies. Then he had a little strop with the tennis ball but thats Enzo!

To view the week 5 photos of the puppies, please use the following link:

Bernie and Lucy's Puppies - Photo gallery updated for week 4. (17th April 2008) We've got lots of new photos of Alfie and the other puppies to show you. (29 photos to be exact) The pups are starting to fill out and are now very mobile, vocal and playful!

Alfie is the light coloured puppy in the photos, you could say he's beginning to look cream in colour, like his mum Lucy. To view the week 4 photos of the puppies, please use the following link:

Here are some misc photos of Bernie and Enzo for April 2008. Enzo seems to be getting lighter in colour and Bernie has found his favourite resting spot, on the bay window sill.

Enzo has taken over the sofa and also has a newly discovered hatred of cats and the postman!

As usual, please use the following link to access these particular photos or use the gallery link on the main menu to access all photos.

We hope you like the pictures, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link on the menu at the top of the page.

Bye for now!

Natalie xx.

Bernie and Lucy's Puppies - Photo gallery updated for week 2 and week 3. (10th April 2008) We've got a load of nice photos to show you which clearly show the puppies growing up. There are some Bernie traits already apparent in a couple of the puppies, one little puppy did Bernie's wave trick which I caught with the camera and you can see Bernie in their facial features!

In addition to the photos, we have some video on the DVD recorder and we hope to get this online shortly when its been cut down in size and prepped for the internet.

We have also named the little boy Alfie after Alfonso Alves, Middlesbrough FC's most expensive ever signing. (Who by the way took the Manchester United defense apart last Sunday!) Well, actually the player is called Afonso Alves (minus the 'l') but we'll skip the detail on this occasion! :-)

To view the photos of the puppies, including week 2 and week 3, please use the following link:

Bernie and Lucy's Puppies - Born on 20th March 2008. Its celebration time in the Bernie and Enzo household as Bernie and Lucy have had 5 little puppies. The 4 girl doggies and 1 boy doggy are doing well and you can see some photos in the gallery. Well done Bernie and Lucy, full marks for your first go! :-)

To view the photos of the puppies please use the following link:

Welcome back! Well its been a while since we last updated the site but rest assured we haven't forgotten about it! We've been busy over the last 3 months - yes its now time for us to make our excuses!

Firstly, Neil and I got married in November so we were a bit busy with the wedding and the honeymoon. Then, we had Christmas and then New Year and also not to forget Neil's birthday. After the high of the wedding and Christmas, we had what is quite possibly the most boring month of the year (January) with horrid weather so we haven't been able to get out and about much.
 
Bernie and Enzo had a great Christmas and they received lots of toys and treats. Bernie did his usual trick by destroying his new soft toys in a matter of minutes (very funny to watch as he appears to talk to you while doing it - will have to capture a video one day) and then Enzo followed suit. The front room was littered with bits of white foam stuffing from the inside of the soft toys. It might not have been snowing outside but we appear to have experienced a 'white Christmas' in the front room!

Anyway, we have collected together a collection of pictures and hopefully you will like them as much as we do!

By the way, Bernie made a new friend this month. She's a little Dachshund called Lucy, so we've also included a picture of her at Bernie's insistance!

We hope you like the pictures, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link.

Oh, while I remember we now have a 3rd Dachshund in the house called Einstein. When a say a Dachshund you need to be aware he's made of pot and loves to hang around near the fireplace. See if you can spot a picture of Einstein in the collection of photos :-)

Bye for now!

Natalie.

Bernie and Enzo visited the Lake District again in September 07. This time we all went for a walk at Ullswater and then Buttermere. Both areas have excellent views and superb walkways and Buttermere in particular has a walkway all the way around the lake. The path is well maintained, clean and its a very easy route for little dogs like Bernie and Enzo. (No climbing at all.)

To view the Lake District National Park website, use the following link:

To view the pictures from the day, you can use the following link - note, it was a bit overcast and then by the time we got to Buttermere it was raining so the pictures may look a little dull and don't really show off the scenery. We'll have to go back when its sunny!

Don't forget to send us a message using the link on the top left menu.

Bye for now!

Natalie and Neil.

Bernie and Enzo visited the lovely island of Lindisfarne about 1 mile off the Northumberland Coast. The island, otherwise known as Holy Island is joined to the mainland by a causeway which is cut off by the sea twice a day. To visit the island, there is a connecting road across the causeway - just remember to check those tide times before setting out as the tide can come in very quickly and you and your car will end up in big trouble!

To view the Lindisfarne Island website, you can use the following link or alternatively just Google Lindisfarne:

To view the pictures from the day, you can use this link - note there arn't too many pictures as the camera broke!

Don't forget to send us a message using the link on the top left menu.

Bye for now!

Natalie xx.

On the weekend of Saturday 26th May, another trip out was planned. Neil got his new car so priority for Sunday was to take it for a drive and errr... play with his new toy.

A trip to the Lake District was planned so we initially decided to visit Keswick and go for a walk at Derwent Water lake. However, it became apparent that everyone else had the same idea and it was impossible to park anywhere near Derwent Water.

Plan B was to drive to Grasmere and that is what we did. Bernie and Enzo visited Grasmere and White Moss Common which is a stunningly beautiful area of the Lake District and a highly recommended stop if you are driving through. White Moss House on the outskirts of Grasmere nestles below the stunning viewpoint of White Moss Common at the north end of beautiful Rydal Water. Visit: http://www.whitemoss.com for more information about White Moss House and White Moss Common.

To view the images from my mobile phone, please use the link given below.

We hope you like the pictures, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link. Sorry about the quality of the images, they were snapped using a mobile phone.

Bye for now!

Natalie xx.

Bernie and Enzo visited Whitby today (25th May 07) but we weren't allowed to walk on the beach - lots of signs saying dogs not allowed! It didn't stop us enjoying ourselves and we went for a walk along West Cliff followed by fish and chips for tea. for those who are unaware, Whitby's skyline is dominated by the ruins of St. Hilda's Abbey, high on Whitby's East Cliff. Spreading below Whitby, a maze of alleyways and narrow streets run down to the busy quayside. From the old town of Whitby, 199 steps lead up to the parish church of St. Mary, whose churchyard on Whitby's East Cliff gave Bram Stoker the inspiration to write his world famous book, Dracula. Bram Stoker lived in a house on West Cliff where parts of Dracula where apparently written.

We hope you like the pictures, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link.

Ta ta for now!

Natalie and Neil.

Filey is a traditional English seaside resort with a friendly atmosphere, offering restful 'get away from it all' holidays. A fishing town on the North East coast of England, Filey has enjoyed a reputation of being a seaside resort since Victorian days. Bernie and Enzo visited Filey and went for a run on the beach followed by an ice cream.

We hope you like the pictures, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link.

Bye for now!

Natalie xx.

Bernie and Enzo visited the lovely Sowerby Hall at Bridlington, Yorkshire. The hall is a traditional style of building with lovely gardens, a cafe, a zoo and cliff top walks. The day was very hot but that didn't stop Enzo barking at the llama's and taking us for a brisk walk by the cliff tops.

We hope you like the pictures, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link.

Bye for now!

Natalie xx.

Towards the end of May 07, Bernie and Enzo went for a short break at Cayton Bay in North Yorkshire. Being extremely lucky with the weather, we all had the opportunity to go for long walks on the beach. Bernie and Enzo enjoyed the beach very much and would often run like crazy after the seagulls. (Note, no birds were harmed in the production of these photos!)

We hope you like the pictures, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link.

Bye for now!

Natalie xx.

In April, Bernie and Enzo went for a walk at Hamsterley Forest. With 2000 hectares of mixed woodland lying between the Wear and Tees valleys on the edge of the North Pennines, there was plenty for Bernie and Enzo to see and do. Hamsterley Forest is a delightful oasis of broadleaved and coniferous woodland, sprawling along the sides of a sheltered valley which sits between Teesdale and Weardale in the heart of beautiful Durham Dales.

We hope you like the pictures, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link.

Bye for now!

Natalie and Neil.

The Saturday and Sunday of April 14th and 15th was a rare weekend of sun! We decided to have a BBQ in the garden and lounge about doing nothing. But, following our feast, Bernie and Enzo decided to take us for a walk down by the River Tees at Ingleby.

We hope you like the pictures, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link.

Bye for now!

Natalie.

Natalie's family have been building an extension on the back of their house and things have been taking shape rapidly over the last few weeks. Bernie and Enzo never miss an opportunity to get involved and often get covered in mud at the same time. On this occassion, they decided to help out by rolling in the building sand and when they got tired it was time for a sleep - in the mud and sand.

We hope you like the pictures, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link.

Bye for now!

Natalie.

Christmas 06 was Bernie and Enzo's first Christmas in our household. They received lots of toys (more than me!) from their many friends. Bernie and Enzo spent most of the morning playing football in the front room while Natalie prepared the superb dinner. A fun time was had by all and by the end of the day I do believe Bernie and Enzo thoroughly enjoyed themselves and now they can't wait until next year. Click the following link to view the Bernie and Enzo Christmas 06 gallery.

We hope you like the pictures, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link.

Bye for now!

Natalie and Neil.

Last November Bernie and Enzo went on a weeks holiday at Loch Tay in Scotland. We all stayed in a lovely log cabin and Bernie and Enzo enjoyed some long and short walks. You can read the story here and see the pictures at the following link:

We hope you like the pictures, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link.

By for now!

Natalie.

We've updated the gallery with some new photos for you to enjoy from September and October 06. Use the following links to view the pictures:


Don't forget you can get to the full gallery and view all the categories using the gallery link on the left had side of the page.

Bye for now!

Natalie and Neil.

On the 3rd September 06, Bernie and Enzo went for a walk at Castle Eden Walkway (now called Wynyard Woodland Park) near Thorpe Thewles, just outside of Stockton. The main walk is an old railway track and there are various woodland walks branching off from the main path. At the start of the walk there is an old railway station that now serves as a gift shop and tea room. Its a very nice and relaxing place to visit on a Sunday and Bernie and Enzo loved the experience. It was a bit muddy but remained bright and reasonably warm. Both dogs loved the woodland and fresh air. Here are the pictures from the morning out:

Castle Eden Walkway Pictures.

To view a little video of Bernie and Enzo (broadband required), click the following link: (If your using Vista, you may have to right click on the link and save the file to your computer before you can play it - sorry.)

Little Castle Eden Video.

To find out more about the Wynyard Woodland Park, visit their website using the link below:

Wynyard Woodland Park Website.

Send some feedback if you have any comments - the feedback form is on the top menu, on the left.

Bye for now!

Neil.

The 28th August 06 was a Bank Holiday Monday. Bernie and Enzo went on a walk to Captain Cook's Monument in the Cleveland Hills. We were lucky, it remained sunny and allowed for some nice photos. Use the link below to see a selection of the photos. Look out for Roseberry Topping in the background.

Captain Cook's Monument Walk

If you have any comments, please drop us a line!

Neil.

When Enzo was only 3 weeks old, we went to visit him and the other puppies one Sunday afternoon. (June 06) While we were there, the puppies were having lunch. The moment was caught on video and is now available for viewing via the website. Click on the following link to go to the movies article.


We hope you like the movies, don't forget to leave us a message using the feedback link.

Natalie and Neil.

Thursday 23rd February 06.

Bernie's first moment of fame arrived when his picture was printed in the Middlesbrough football club programme!

Starring on page 56 of the Boro matchday programme (Middlesbrough v Stuttgart in UEFA Cup RD32) we're now waiting for the sponsorship deals to come flooding in!

For your info, Bernie's name came about when we were having difficulty choosing a name. Natalie said she would name him after a boro 'legend' at which point I remember hearing someone say, "What?? You mean Bernie Slaven from Century radio??" And that was that, Bernie got his name. Sorry about your name Bernie. (Thats an apology to the dog, not Slaven!) See the following link to a scanned copy of the article.

Middlesbrough (Boro) won the match (yippee!) and on 27 April 2006, Middlesbrough reached the UEFA Cup final in Eindhoven but unfortunately were we got trounced 4-0 by Spanish side Seville. (Darn!!!)

To find out about the history of Middlesborough Football Club you can use the following links:

Wiki Site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middlesbrough_F.C

Official Site: http://www.mfc.co.uk

Bye for now!

Neil.

Bernie and Enzo Photo Gallery now online:

The photo gallery is now online. You can now view photos of Bernie and Enzo and see what they have been up to lately.

The Gallery

The gallery has recently been updated with all sorts of nice new photos from various places the Bernie and Enzo have visited. As always, if you have any comments, please let me know via email or by using the feedback link.  :-)

If you would like to contact me, please use the feedback link. Fill in the form and submit your question / comment. I'll do my best to get back to you as soon as possible - we look forward to hearing from you.


We have received lots of feedback over the last few months and both Neil and I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has taken time to send us a message! We like to read your stories and enjoy reading your comments and suggestions.

Thank you!

Natalie xx