She looks up at me almost with just one eye half open as if to say "You have to be kidding! Can't we walk later!". Two front legs on the floor. Back legs on the dog sofa where she sleeps at night. Enormous and very satisfying stretch. I give her a scratch behind the ears, pop her collar on (two sizes too large so it slips over her ears), open patio door and off we go. I just love the way she stands looking up at me with her tail wagging as I unlock the garden gates. Off along the street to the footpath over the railway. Check for trains and across we go. The field on the other side is empty except for a few crows and we walk briskly across to the next stile where we find young bullocks off to the right a few hundred yards. They are still full of get up and go and not what I'd call socialised at all particularly where dogs are concerned, but nevertheless still far enough off to not be a problem. The bullocks spot us when I'm just about at the footbridge over the river and Lady has hung back to smell a smell. Urgent recall and she looks up and ambles towards me in her own time while the bullocks start their run. At a loss to getting the dozy dog to look at the danger I blow the stop and indicate left. She looks. She stiffens. She runs faster than I thought she could go and leaps onto the bridge where she stops to look at the bullocks now crowding around the stile on the bridge. She has her tongue out and I kid you not seems to be laughing at them. On we go and meet up with Daisy and her owner. We compare notes on birds. I spotted a Goshawk in the trees at the end of the garden the day before - wonderful! Daisy and her owner brave the cattle and were last seen legging it at high speed between stiles. Stop to photograph the rape in full bloom. I've been photographing the same field from the same spot for the past 4 years once a week as a record. Sneeze violently - rape!!!! Stop to check out the tadpoles in the ditch. Coming on nicely. Stop in the lane to check out the lambs and in doing so take my eye off the ball and Lady against the rules which she knows full well, slips through the kissing gate behind me and into the water meadow with the rams. Ooops! I've been training her to ignore sheep but there has always been a kind of critical distance where I reckon I'm chancing my arm unless she's got something high value to distract her like picking up a shot pheasant. Rush through the gate to find Lady sniffing a smell with a semi-circle of about a dozen rams eyeing her up from a distance of about 5 yds. Cool as a cucumber Small Black Dog trots through a gap between them when I recall. Phew! Much of the rest of the walk uneventful except she gave me an old fashioned look when I put a tennis ball in the edge of the wheat by about 6 inches to see if she would scent it as she trotted past. She whirled round as she passed picked up the ball and dropped it at my feet with a look that said. "Be more careful. You dropped this. And while you're at it I'll have a treat please!" Down the lane to the farm yard and we come around the corner to be faced by 3 ewes and 6 lambs coming out of the farmyard towards us with my farmer friend in hot pursuit! Small Black Dog bounces towards them then stops and stands her ground. Ewes and lambs stop and go back and are shooed through a field gate. "Any more round the corner?" shouts farmer. "No", I says, "that's it". Small Black Dog now doubles as a sheepdog. Off home to breakfast followed by much basking in the warm sunshine for the rest of the morning by the Small Black Dog. Bliss" She's just gone into kennels this morning for a week and I miss her already. Off to Lake Como on Saturday for a week! 65th birthday present from OH.
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk After such a wonderful walk you will miss her terribly; I think I would rather have that walk than Lake Como!
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk Oh Lady, what a star you are! Lake Como is gorgeous, have a great time and I bet Lady will have a rapturous welcome ready for your return!
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk I loved reading this David , what an eventful start to the day Have a wonderful holiday , Lady will be waiting for round two when you get back
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk Love adventures of the small black dog ;D Como is beautiful, have a wonderful time. You and Lady will be reunited for more adventures soon enough
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk What an exciting morning walk Hope you have a fantastic break with your OH. I'm sure Lady will be eager to see you home
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk Wow that was an eventful walk David. Have a lovely Birthday and holiday but the best present of all will be when you return home to your lovely Lady xx
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk David I'd read a novel written by you! That was a lovely post,I was walking it with you !......Dexter wasn't I might add as it would have all gone wrong at the bullocks....and you'd still be missing a tennis ball.....forever lost in the wheat....but he'd have still mugged you for a treat all the same just because he looked at you! Have a lovey holiday,what a wonderful present,we've been there and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves ,some lovely walks,scenery and food.....oh and er......wine! Happy Birthday!and I believe you've told us Lady loves her kennels...she'll already be saying 'Daddy who?' And that's a GOOD thing x
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk Dogs are such wonderful companions, and free spirits to boot. I wouldn't have had anything like so many interesting "adventures", or got to know so many new people, some of whom are now close friends, if Lady hadn't been around. And to think we got her pretty much by accident when my daughter couldn't manage her anymore (not forgetting about the sad parts about that though). Sarah said that Lady would be good for me and she was right! We are both very lucky to have her, even if we now need a new carpet, and quite a bit of our furniture has chew marks on it all from when she was a puppy. Not forgetting OH's broken leg of course either. ;D Yup looking forward to Como and walking in the mountains if the knees will take it. Been there a couple of times before and I prefer Como to most of the other Italian Lakes. Staying in the Grand Hotel Menaggio where we've been before. Got a lake view. Got the Euros. Just got to get to the airport through the Easter traffic on the M25 on Saturday morning. :
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk [quote author=Dexter link=topic=5461.msg68878#msg68878 date=1397750775] David I'd read a novel written by you! That was a lovely post,I was walking it with you !...... [/quote] I was thinking the same thing...lovely read..
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk David....you have done such a great job with Lady. She is a star. Hope you and Rosemary have a wonderful break 8) xx
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk Have a lovely holiday David, wonderful post, what amazing recall Lady has, wow, hope I get to that point with Otis, loved all the bits about wildlife, I could picture the walk. Take care, Maggie x
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk Fabulous walk and a great read Sheepdog trialling in the SBD's future? Have a wonderful holiday
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk That was lovely, thank you, David for sharing your walk with us! Have a wonderful time, enjoy your celebration!
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk Hi Maggie. Lady's recall isn't brilliant, unfortunately. I think I just timed it right in that she'd started to move and she's usually ok if she's not concentrating on something else. Loads of faults the experts would have nightmares about I'm afraid. ;D
Re: Small Black Dog has Exciting Walk Super post David, thank you. Have a lovely holiday, enjoy la bella Italia - and happy birthday!
