A Real Dog Day

Nobody wakes up and thinks "this is going to be a real dog day". If you did you would probably lose the opportunity to be surprised. Well today, to be more exact, this afternoon was a real dog afternoon.

I wasn't expecting it and it did catch us all by surprise. We are a family of seven and we have had a following of pets over the years. Dogs, obviously, cats, a rabbit or two; we have had our fair share of smaller mammals - mice and guinea pigs. An aquarium that every few years resurrects. It kind of hibernates when one of the children grows older and is reborn when another suddenly discovers the tank and equipment hidden in the loft. We have had chickens and other egg laying birds. But above all we are dog people.

Over the years I have reached the conclusion that us dog lovers are generous people. We overlook just about everything if we receive uncomplaining and perhaps undeserving love.

If the moon is out our dogs will start a sing-a-long. In a short while a full scale concert is blasting away as their canine friends join in.

House training should come in pills. A sort of "take an aspirin and call me in the morning". And in the morning the mess has miraculously gone. Unfortunately reality always steps in (in both senses of the word).

I no longer think twice before going out and having a pair of muddy paws leaving their imprint on a white shirt.

When a boot is missing I know one of the younger dogs will be chewing on it. When I confront it, it will look at me (with a twitch in those enormous sheep's eyes) and half heartedly shake its tail. If I give in and by the slightest nuance of my voice show my weakness it will immediately start jumping up and down.

The phrase "dog expert" doesn't belong to us. We just like them and they seem to like us.

We have three bitches. The eldest and definitely the alpha, is Sheba, a Greater Swiss Mountain dog. Then Mila the Golden Retriever. Finally the black Labrador Negra - who is days away from having about twenty puppies if the size of her belly is anything to go by.

When the Labrador joined us we had a serious pow-wow with the family. She is definitely the last addition to our family. (5 kids, three dogs and stray pets that visit permanently is more than enough). We were really firm this time. Grudgingly the rest of the family agreed.

Dog Afternoon.

I was working just after lunch when I received a cell message from my 15 year old son. He was out with a friend riding a motorcycle out in the country - a couple of hours away. They go cross country once in a while. After taking a break to eat some sandwiches they went for a walk. This is a mountainous area with small valleys. As they climbed the mountain, going between some hanging rocks towards a small stream, they heard a dog whimpering.

They found a small Weimaraner, not more than 8 weeks old. It was caught between two rock ledges with its hind legs in the river. It was whimpering away, weak and very hungry. It must have been there for about a day.

My son's first message told me they had found a dog. The next was what should he do. His friend's folks don't like dogs. I reminded him of our dog decision. He then described this poor little puppy, wet and tired and that it was a Weimaraner.

I then decided I would take the flack, but he couldn't leave it behind.

A couple of hours later my son returned. He came through the gate walking and carrying his back pack. This was the moment I was looking forward to, and dreading at the same time.

I told my wife to be calm, it was my responsibility and so on. She just stared at me. I think she must have suspected.

Chris came into the kitchen, put his back pack on the floor where it tried to walk on its own. Slowly a little face with long ears and blue eyes stared out and whimpered. My wife forgot all our good intentions and just picked him up, cuddled him, covered him with kisses and solemnly declared: "Zeus".

All I can say is that this has been a happy dog's day.