Posting days: Sunday and Wednesday and, sometimes, maybe, extra bits in between.

Wednesday July 31st 2019

I thought that Isis might be reluctant to walk in Kings Heath Park after her misadventure, but she seems perfectly happy to be there again. She even saunters nonchalantly into the Colour Garden and plays there as though nothing ever happened.

Thank goodness for that.

Here she is emerging from the erstwhile scene of trauma.

It’s Saturday. Human lingered late in bed, so it’s afternoon before we reach the park. It rains most of the day, and the park is very quiet at first. Then, slowly, dog walkers appear. They’ve decided that the weather isn’t about to improve so they may as well get the wetting over with.

The first brave soul we meet is B. with Lori and Manny. They time their entrance well: they discover a lovely fried egg near the pond. Their luck is in; it looks freshly dropped. They give every impression of enjoying their egg thoroughly, their appetites, no doubt sharpened by the fact that their human is in hot pursuit.

It’s still raining next day when Ji., Isis and Human drive to Highbury for a last walk with R., S., Gilbert (Bertie to his friends) and George. They are moving away to a home near to the Welsh border.

Bev. and T are already there with Nancy and Rufus.

Tr. has also come to wish them well, and Tr., Bev and I talk about how much confidence Isis has gained through walking regularly with Rufus and Nancy. Tr. tells us about his latest rescue, a little border collie bitch who had never been taken for a walk or socialised, and is terrified of everything. He asks if he could bring her to Highbury to walk with us, and we agree to set this up when he returns from holiday in two weeks time.

I look forward to meeting her, poor little creature.

Then S., R., Bev, T., J. and I set off around the park with the five dogs.

R. and S.leave tomorrow, and have moved all but the basics from their old house. Although Bertie and George are as high as kites today, they have, apparently, taken in their stride the dismantling of their home. They haven’t shown any signs of stress, although Bertie was a little incredulous about the disappearance of the sofa!

It was S. and R. who took Isis with them to the park several times a week over many months when I was incapacitated a couple of years ago. And it was R. who bravely allowed Isis to play off-lead in the Colour Garden. It was R. to whom Isis made her first ever overture for a treat, giving two loud, purposeful woofs as she stood at the back of the crowd and smelled the other dogs enjoying their gravy bones.

Goodbye, our park friends. You will be very much missed.

*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