Saturday

08.10 Isis wakes, shuffles a little and pats the bedclothes experimentally. She sits up. Rump in the air she stretches out her front legs, then, rump tucked in, she extends her hind legs. Kerfluff! She jumps down onto the bedroom floor for a pace and a sniff.

Alternatively, if she has chosen to sleep downstairs the night before, I hear her thumpety, thumpety climb up the stairs before she enters the bedroom to check out what’s keeping me.

After a few snatched extra minutes in bed, I greet her with a cuddle and try to slip her collar round her neck before she twists her head away and enters play mode. Then I carry the fluffy creature downstairs, place her on the hall floor and make for the back door.

Duty done she waits patiently on the front door mat while I get ready upstairs.

I slip her a treat, snap on her collar, open the door and attempt to dive into the front garden before she begins to spin. (She prefers to spin, growl and snap at her legs while her lead is being put on but she wants the treat even more.)

She likes to sniff over the little lawn to check for wildlife scents. Then she’ll jump into the car and sit angelically waiting for her harness to be put on. Yes, angelically. She knows she’ll be rewarded with a treat.

Once in the park she is eager to leap out of the car and get sniffing.

Some of her favourite things are clambouring over logs and boulders, scrambling up and down steep banks, snuffling in the woody areas and jumping over fences and walls.

The image above shows her beginning the assault. So far I’ve failed to catch the little acrobat on camera as she continues her vault. She flips her back feet onto the rail. Simultaneously, her front feet hit the ground and she executes a beautiful  ‘handstand’ before her back feet join the rest of her on the other side.

Back at the house breakfast is served and she retires upstairs for a snooze.

She usually enjoys a laid back afternoon before we go off to the park again.

Evenings are more interesting for her than afternoons. She rests until it’s time for tea, then dozes. After this there’s a range of activities. We do ‘sit’ and ‘down’ and have treats for being a clever dog. We might play tugging with a pink ball on a rope or tussle with a squeaky toy. Almost every night we play ‘hunt the chocolate drop’. She’s very good at this and never stops before she’s found them all.  Every other day we get groomed.

Later, we lie on the futon. She doesn’t like it if human intrudes on her space. She growls and wriggles. But she enjoys snuggling up behind human’s knees, resting her head on its legs and giving it a sly nibble.

Last thing we pop into the back garden – on the lead because sometimes she’s nervous, and at others she likes to dance in the mud.

Isis then chooses where she will spend the night. She doesn’t like being kept up late and sometimes takes herself off upstairs while human’s watching t.v. Although she will be disturbed later at least she gets first choice of bed space.

Isis came from the Aeza cat and dog rescue and adoption centre in Aljezur, Portugal. For information about adopting an animal from the centre, contact kerry@aeza.org or  www.dogwatchuk.com