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

Sunday June 17th 2018

As we know, Isis loves the Colour Garden in Kings Heath Park. Her favourite bed is the yellow one. She used to run back and forth along one side.

This was very helpful of her as I could lounge on the bench near the bowling green and keep an eye on her.

But I became more than a little concerned about the increasingly marked track which her little scampering feet were engraving.

I was relieved when she became more adventurous and took to racing all the way round the bed, even though I had to rise from my bench now and then when she lingered on the other side out of view.

When the sun came out and dense shadows appeared, she restricted herself to that side, playing warily and creeping into the edge of the bed for cover among the plants when the light changed.

Sometimes, when particularly spooked, she crept deeper into the bed.

That’s how she discovered the tall, broad fir tree. Its foliage is very dense and its branches sweep down almost to the soil: the perfect hiding place for an uneasy dog.

She becomes very interested in the purple bed. At first she trots carefully along the back, near the hedge, exploring the layout. Several times she gets caught up in dog snatching plants and I have to wind my way in among the shrubs to release her.

Unfortunately, I see her flatten a clump of flowers and have to curtail her purple bed cavorting.

She responds to this by returning to the yellow bed where she spends most of her time leaping around the tall fir. When she is tired, she scrambles beneath it and stands there panting.

If we take Half-a Snake to the park with us, she carries him into the bed with her, tosses him aside, has a little prance, then picks him up again and takes him under the tree where she mouths him fondly until another prance beckons. This goes on until, eventually, I make my way to the tree and harness the hairy reveller.

From the Colour Garden we set off for the car park, Isis carrying Half-a-Snake carefully back to the car.

Lately, concerned that she’s not getting enough variety in her park visits, I insist that we walk down to the old bowling green when we begin our walk. Isis  obviously wishes that I’d mind my own business and let her go where she wants to go.

Being an officious human, I persist. Now she’s extended her territory, reclaiming the lower bowling green, the little tracks by the railway line, the area above the bowling green and the little wood.

Human: Excellent. This is good for you.

Isis: Huh.

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