Posting days: Sunday and Wednesday and, sometimes, maybe, extra ‘news flashes’!

Sunday March 27th 2016

When I send evidence of the first few blades of grass emerging, Chris The Landscaper assures me that the lawn will soon be ‘as green as an Irishman’s beard.’

I think he’s right because now, about ten days later, it resembles an Irishman’s stubble.

But it’ll take a few months yet before a dog can play on it. And Isis is restless. Although we spend about three hours each day in the park, she’d like to be out all day, please. (Actually, I don’t think there’s a please.)

At least there is a little progress on the stick gathering front. There’s an area in Kings Heath Park large enough for Hairy One to gallop on and small enough to allow me to remove all the sticks from her reach.

Sadly, she continues to ignore her new ball on a string, except for a cursory sniff. Until Thursday, when she picks it up. But she drops it immediately and rushes off on a stick hunt. On Friday morning she picks it up again and holds it in her mouth for a few seconds. On Friday evening she carries it about a metre in her mouth.

On Saturday it is raining. Isis loves this, of course. She can’t wait to dance out to the car.

Oh the rain flies!

Oh the wind in one’s coat!

Oh for a stick!

But there are no sticks. It rains all day non-stop. Only a few dogs appear in the park and no-one has replenished the stick supply. However hard Hairy One sniffs, she finds not the tiniest wodge of wood to chew up and swallow.

Human, nasty spoilsport, is relieved.

Again I drop the ball on a string close to where Isis is running.

This time she is thrilled to find it. Grab! She’s off! She runs and runs, the rope snaking out between her teeth.

She plays with the toy as she’s not played for weeks and weeks, as she’s not played since she hunted her Christmas hamburger at Reaside and became frightened by the winter light.

She drops the ball on a string and spirals off to chase rain flies. I relocate the toy. She hunts it down, runs off with it, drops it, finds it again, lies down and chomps on it. The routine is repeated again and again. She has a wonderful time.

Perhaps my mobile wood pulping factory is returning to being a dog.

What a relief.

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.co.uk