Posting days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Monday

I shouldn’t have boasted about Hairy One’s excellent behaviour. I get my comeuppance: on Sunday we have a relapse and there are several very angry incidents. The good news is that none of them is her fault.

In the morning, after she has only been running in the garden for about an hour, she comes in, lies down and looks at me. This is unusual behaviour. After a while, thinking that she must be hungry, I give her her breakfast early. Mistake number one. I should always stick to her routine.

After breakfast, she spins and grabs at her back end. Surprisingly, she allows me to examine her and I discover a long, prickly twig clinging to the inside of her back leg.

We leave for Highbury Park. She is grumpy in the car, and when I let her out she stands on the car park growling and diving at her bottom. There is, I discover, a large clump of dried excrement stuck amongst the hairiness. No wonder the poor little thing is grumpy this morning. I deal with the problem and am surprised at Isis’s co-operation. No attempts to grab my hand or to bite me.

She enjoys running round the big field in the park, following scents, until the sun comes out and she wants to go home.

In the early evening it is quite overcast and I am keen to take her for a second walk. She is enjoying herself in the garden. As soon as I attempt to put her on the lead I know I should not have interrupted her. I think she should have a walk but she, obviously, is perfectly happy in the garden. She spins very angrily and bites the usual back foot. It bleeds.

Poor Isis has had a very irritating day. That night she continues to be grumpy until the room is dark. Then she sleeps soundly at her end of the futon. Relief.

But I have to let her out and cut up her Dentistix. This necessitates putting the light on. She finds artificial light distressing, particularly when she is already worked up. She executes a few irritated spins. I go to bed early, leaving her in darkness.

For about an hour she yelps and growls sporadically. Eventually I go down and fetch her. With very little protest, she allows me to carry her upstairs. There are only two further growly episodes, about thirty minutes apart. I am interested to find that whereas she doesn’t respond to strokes or rubs, little pats calm her almost instantly.

We sleep soundly until morning. Today, so far, so good.

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