Amstel. The Great Hunter, the Minor Celebrity
Most beagles hunt small game like – rabbit, squirrels, or various kinds of birds. Our beagle is special, he hunts delivery truck drivers.
It all began when our mailman started giving Amstel treats a few years ago. Now he thinks every single mail/package delivery driver is there to help him satisfy his hunger…no matter where we are, every time.
Amstel’s powers of persuasion are strong, more often than not he scores a Milkbone. With one look he can usually coerce most people into getting what he wants.
His nose is like a finely calibrated instrument. Here you can see him tracking his prey from blocks away (zoom in to see the mailman).
Although the US Postal Service (USPS) was his “gateway drug”, he’s discovered that he can also score from other carriers.
Whenever he sees a truck a smile of satisfaction appears on his face and he locks in, ready to pounce in a moment's notice.
Here he displays his patented surprise attack maneuver, coming along the side of the truck to catch the driver off guard before he even leaves his truck.
Double happiness. This was a five star day for Amstel. Two trucks in one fell swoop. In reality, he has gotten two treats from two different delivery drivers in the same day, a feat that might never be repeated.
Amstel knows a secret. It’s called FEDex for a reason. This time they delivered his snack right to our building.
In all seriousness, this little guy is very special. He's been our sidekick for almost fourteen years now, more like we’ve been HIS sidekick. You see, he's a minor celebrity in our neighborhood.
We’ve walked thousands of miles in those fourteen years. Here's to many more days of hunting delivery drivers, little buddy!
Happy Fall everyone!
Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.
Pick up a copy of Ephemera today on Amazon.
Most of us have experienced a moment of perfect peace at least once in our lives. In these moments we lose ourselves and feel connected to everything. I call these mindful moments. Words can’t describe how complete they make us feel.
These moments are usually fragile, evaporating in seconds. What if there was a way to train your mind to experience more of them? It’s deceptively easy and requires nothing more than a subtle shift in mindset. My new book, Mindful Moments, will teach you to be much more content despite the chaos and imperfect circumstances continuing to unfold around you. Upgrade your life experience today for only $15.99 on Amazon.com.
Let’s Keep In Touch
Wow it is really nice to have such dog as pet.
I'm a local celebrity in my circles too. Everyone knows I'm crazy. Infamy & fame: two sides of the same coin, yes?
Awe! That's awesome! We just got some pictures on our feed the other day reminding us that we have had Jovi for 13 years. Such great companions! I love the pictures and his tenacity!
Thanks my friend. Yeah, it's incredible how fast the time goes. Amstel has really started to slow down this summer. He was diagnosed with a heart murmur (that will progress to CHF) almost three years ago. The vet at the U of M animal hospital gave him 18 months back then and he's nearly doubled their estimate!
That is great that they got it wrong. One of those times when you are happy about that. Jo has slowed down quite a bit too. I worry with all the stairs in our house she is going to break a hip.
It looks very much exciting and happy to be around you and that is awesome.
We're old friends, 14 years!
Interesting, your pet's attention was on this truck most of the time. Dogs are intelligent creatures. Very good photography
Thanks! Yes, he really "locks eyes" on these trucks when he sees them. A hound never forgets a food source.
14 years dog age is 78 years in human age. I am happy to see that Amstel is still healthy. It is visible that he is in a good place, and that he has a loving, caring owner.
Hopefully he will stay healthy in the future too. Have many more adventures and lovely moments with him.
Thank you. I also wish a happy autumn/fall. Currently we are also in the autumn/fall.
Have a nice day. All the best. Greetings and much love from Hungary.
Thanks! He's still kicking! He has his good days and bad days but, for now, the good ones outnumber the bad. I hope you have a great weekend. We're having a warm up here these next three days, they call it "Indian summer" here. After that we're heading straight into winter.
We also have similar weather. Around 21 °C during the day, and between 5 °C and 12 °C in the night. There where a few colder nights in the previous week. The current temperature is 12 °C, and currently we are in the evening (21:00 CEST).
Probably our weather will be the same. According to the weather forecast, the weather will be warm in this month (October). The day temperature will be around 15 °C and 17 °C in the beginning of the next month (November), and the nights will be around 5 °C and 7 °C.
Enjoy the warm weather.
No dam for Amstel: he will hunt those drivers high and low through the lands!
Lol, yes! The news has spread quickly amongst them that they have to pay the "treat fee" or else they'll be guilted into submission. Hope you're well @vcelier!
A good habit, it is better than chasing any moving object with barking :)
Thankfully he doesn't chase them!
I have two German Shepherds (11 and 10). The delivery drivers that know the dogs, love them. The other drivers fear them.
The Amazon driver will often leave two treats on our packages if we aren't there to answer the door.
I walk them 3 times a day and the neighbours consider that our "Neighbourhood Watch"
I love that breed. They're so incredibly smart and I can see how they would make strangers take notice. That's so cool that the Amazon drivers leave treats for them. Once a dog person, always a dog person. : ) I'm sure they're the best security system (and also the best friends) you could possibly have.
They are exactly the security system I want. If you don't know them, you wouldn't dare open the door. If you know them, you know that you can walk right in.
That's what I call intelligent security. Those dogs are probably smarter than most people.
hahahaha be careful with Amstel, I can't imagine him running after every delivery truck in your country, there are many trucks of this type so you have to be careful not to go after one of them. Beautiful specimen your beagle.
Thank you Isabel! We have lots of trucks around here too. Amstel is on high alert for them every time we're out.
Jajajajaja. I had a good laugh with your post, Eric!!! Amstel really is a celebrity and with that face, who can resist him. Here in the neighborhood we have a mascot, a parrot (or parakeet) named Paolo, who spends his time at the bus stop singing the national anthem and saying good morning to everyone. In return, we people give him bread and fruit. He is almost a member of the neighborhood and one of the family. Pets are wonderful beings that make our days more bearable. I wish they were eternal. Nice Thursday and thank you very much for your support!!! A thousand hugs.
So glad you enjoyed it, Nancy! He uses his cuteness to its full potential in getting what he wants. Lol. That's so cool that your neighborhood has a mascot. There's a short story in that somewhere, or a children's book. Amstel has brought us SO much joy. I'm thankful that we've had this extra time with him. He's traveled with us to Sedona, AZ last winter and New York City when I was working on that series we were writing for Netflix. You're very welcome! Enjoy your weekend and take care of yourself!
Oh, I didn't know you had written a series for Netflix. Did you write about it here on HIVE? I'm going to check your blog to see if I can find out what it's all about. Well, it's never too late to congratulate you. I know of your work as a writer, your dedication, and especially, your talent. Good luck! Hugs to you
Yes, I worked on it with a team of folks from Steemit from 2016-2018. It was a dystopian sci-fi series with cryptocurrency/blockchain central to its plot called HardFork. We had three seasons written and we were pitching it to Netflix and other studios then the 2018 bear market hit and ran out of money and it just fizzled. It was such a fun couple of years -- learning screenwriting, living in New York for weeks at a time, meeting with crypto teams. Those years taught me a lot. Thank you Nancy!
Not sure delivery men in your area approve of this post, but whatever. Maybe he ordered something in another life, got one of those interminable waiting windows, and never got his delivery. Maybe poor Amstel's still waiting.
PS: that sixth picture just looks outright menacing.
Haha, if the word gets out other dogs are going to expect the same special TREATment. Yes! That sixth picture is him at the very top of his form, quietly stalking his prey, ready to pounce. : )
FEDex lol. Beautiful dog. Hope Amstel gets even more treats and breaks his record very soon!
Thank you! If he gets more than two treats in one day from two different delivery people there will definitely be another post. There will be reason to celebrate! : )
He is actually looking quite loving and adorable
He's been a wonderful dog, such a good disposition.
I loved the second photo.
Thanks for sharing about amstel
Thanks!
Finally what I've been waiting for arrived. I've always been waiting for your posts about Amstel, the dog who is very adorable. Amstell must have thought that every delivery courier who arrived would present him with a gift of his favorite food. Of course he would always wait. I don't think anyone would have the heart to refuse the wishes of this innocent-eyed dog. What a smart dog.
Thank you, Eliana! He has really honed his powers of persuasion!
Dog happiness) Autumn is very beautiful in the last photo.
Clever Amstel, charming everyone like that, but who can resist a face like that, such a sweetie pie!
We never see the leaves turn golden like that, some do fall but our trees still are green throughout winter, what a stunning photo - one can see why you call it Fall.
There's never a dull moment with Amstel. : ) Autumn is gorgeous here. Aside from the yellow we get orange and red also. Some trees are so bright that it looks like they're lit from the inside. Too bad the season is so short. We're having the last stretch of warm weather this weekend and then we start the climb down to freezing (and inevitably below).
Indeed he is very very cute. Today, I got to know you are equally good at photography.
I think, he is a major celebrity now.
He definitely thinks he's a celebrity! : )