Posting days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Monday

It is impossible to judge how much effect the Clomicalm tablets are having On Hairy One’s behaviour. When we visited a few weeks ago, Polymath was struck by how much more confident Isis seems and how much less aggression she directs at herself.  She is convinced that the medication is doing Isis good and is certain that I should continue it.

I am less sure, feeling that the positive changes in behaviour were already in place before the medication was given. Two or three weeks ago I cut her dosage down from forty to twenty mg. a day and saw no difference in her.

Now I’m not so sure. For the first part of last week she was decidedly irritable. Could it be the smaller dose of medication, or was it the aftermath of the fallout we had over her gobbling rubbish in the park? Who knows? But I don’t want to risk it just in case the tablets are supporting her behavioural changes. I order another month’s supply.

On Friday they arrive and I change her evening dose back to the original 2o mg. We’ll see what happens over the next few weeks.

Yesterday the very last remnants of leylandii are removed from the garden. I am hoping that now all of the sticks have been confiscated, and she showed so much interest in the ball on a string, she will engage with the dog toys.

But she ignores the balls I have threaded onto strings and sniffs around for the soggy shreds of the old ball which she then picks up and carries around in her mouth. Oh dear. Is it a puppy substitute? If so what sort of puppy would she like? I give her one which belonged to El. but she is not interested.

She’d like to wipe her muddy whiskers on the washing please but mean Human now hangs it up too high for her to reach.

Poor deprived dog. She decides to divide her time between running round the whirligig and giving the forsythia a vigorous prune.

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.c