Doggy Tails

As you may have guessed from some of my previous posts, I'm a bit of a dog lover. In fact I'm on a bit of a canine high at the moment and I thought I would share some dog-related anecdotes with you from the last month or so.

One of the main reasons for this is that not only did my girlfriend's parent's dog get involved in Christmas; he stayed with us as the hotel her parents were staying in didn't allow dogs (cretins). It was absolutely wonderful having a dog around all the time. Although my girlfriend makes a mess and moults it's not quite the same! He seemed to enjoy himself too, especially as he knows we're stupidly indulgent when it comes to him. As such he had the run of the sofas, chair and bed naturally. We did try to get him to sleep in his basket for the first night but the big eyes staring at us over the edge of the bed soon melted us. After that he was on the bed (although slightly put our when he found himself scruffed and relocated to the bottom of the bed from my pillow... we do have some standards).

The doggy feeling was enhanced over Christmas when I received a copy of, "It's All About Treo" as a Christmas present. This tells the story of a British Army explosives search dog (and his handler) on tour in Afghanistan. The book is moving and exciting in equal measures. It is also unintentionally funny. The image of loads of huge, hairy-arsed squaddies in full battle kit going all gooey over a dog is a wee bit amusing.

The local animal sanctuary where I volunteer has also provided me with a couple of laughs. I was out with one bug staffy who did NOT like getting her paws wet. Under normal circumstances this would not be a huge issue but given my local area had been suffering from severe flooding there was a lot of water around. About 90% of the area I was in consisted of thin mud. For the most part, bribed by treats, she deigned to tiptoe round most of the walk but then we came to a big obstacle. A local stream had buts its banks and flooded over the path and up to the wall next to it. To make matters worse, the flood included a fence and style crossing. I went through the flood first making a big show of walking through it and not getting wet above my ankles to show the dog how shallow it was but did she move? Not a chance. A few firm tugs on the lead did nothing to move her and treats only managed to get her to the first step on the style. Further she would not go (apparently she was afraid of heights too). Eventually my only option was to pick her up and heave her over myself. At first she looked a bit perplexed to find herself in the air but quickly she got the hang of the idea of being carried. By the end of the manoeuvre she was really rather enjoying herself.

The dog in the next story suffered no such qualms about getting wet. In fact she rather enjoyed it; that was the problem. No puddle was left un-jumped in. When we arrived at the local stream she went nose-first in. This was to be her undoing as the normally shallow stream had morphed into a good-going river with the flood water. Quickly the dog found herself significantly out of her depth and was none too pleased about it (well if the expression on her face was anything to go by). Fortunately yours truly kicked into David Hasslehoff mode and dragged her out by the lead before she had properly realised she was in trouble and she was back on terra firma in no time although she did look rather bedraggled.

My final doggy story, and probably the best one of all, also comes from the sanctuary. I know one isn't supposed to have favourites but I have one. He's a big bull mastiff cross with an eye condition and a bald spot. Despite his brutal looks, he is a big softie. I joke that he's so gentle he barely bites his food so as you can imagine he's great with people. One of his favourite activities is being cuddled. This dog and I have formed a real bond over the last couple of months. We have spent a lot of time exploring the local woods, fields and streams. His stock rose even more when he was introduced to my girlfriend and got on famously with her. Just before Christmas I found out that he had been adopted. While I'm more than a little sad I won't be seeing him again, I am absolutely delighted for him. I am so pleased he is going to a home where he can be loved (and spoiled) until his heart's content. The last time I saw him I think he knew what was happening. He made even more of a fuss of me than usual. It was a truly fond farewell.

Right, that's all my canine news Sorry if you're not a dog lover and found the last few paragraphs dull.

JR