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

Sunday November 6th 2016

A U.K. resident for over two years now, Isis experienced her third November 5th yesterday. Before last night, she appeared to be oblivious to the relentless succession of tearing whooshes and ground shaking bangs. Not surprising, since her hearing is virtually defunct.

Last night, however, was different. She was clearly disconcerted, uttering little woofs when the worst bangs occurred, and coming to seek me out as soon as I moved from the room. And she certainly didn’t like what she could smell when taken into the garden before dog’s bed-time.

Strange. Why now?

Perhaps it’s because she is now much more aware of what is supposed to happen in the different environments which she inhabits.

She is quite certain that strange people, who are not her next-door neighbours, have no right to walk through her gate and touch her letterbox, and when we return from a walk and she smells the lingering scent of a trespasser, she jerks up and spins on her hind legs, barking indignantly.

She is also convinced that strangers have no right to walk on the pavement outside her house. If someone’s passing by as we leave the house, she sounds the alarm. “Whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo-WUFF”, she shouts very loudly, leaping towards the gate as I attempt to leave the house with at least a shred of dignity. No chance. Don’t know why I bother.

It’s the same when I open the rear car door to retrieve her on our return from an outing.  Twice a day I forget that the inevitable is about to happen. She always seems to wait until I lean in very close to detach her safety strap from her harness. Then, when we are cheek-by-jowel, she bellows right into my ear:

“GrYAP!”

And, dammit, every time I jump.

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