A post should appear each Sunday!

Sunday May 29th 2022

On May 13th, only a few days after her last brief sojourn at Hollytrees, I take poor Isis to the kennels again.

I am off to St. Ives with my friend C. The week’s holiday was planned some months ago. I had expected to visit my nephew a few weeks earlier, but this had not been possible, hence Isis returning to the kennels so soon.

Isis has always strode willingly from the car to the gate of Hollytrees and has been perfectly amenable to walking off with one of the staff to the kennel block, but today, for the first time ever, she sniffs the ground suspiciously as soon as we get out of the car, realises where we are, and balks at moving any further.

I feel very mean. It’s far too soon for her to be left again.

Fortunately, Tracey knows that poor Isis had a bad experience walking down the aisle of the block between two rows of caged dogs last time. She knows all about worried dog owners too. She asks Adam to take Isis to her lodgings, and to pick her up and carry her if she refuses to move.

I walk alongside Isis for a few steps, then Adam says, “She’s O.K. now.” And clearly she is. She walks off with Adam without a backward glance.

We have a magical holiday. From the window of our first floor flat there’s a panoramic view of the sea and the harbour, and just below the window is a terrace where we drink wine every evening. We spend an enchanting day at the Eden Project, have a fascinating  few hours at the Tate, and sit in the spectacular Minack theatre which is carved out of the rocks at the edge of the cliffs.

On Tuesday we meet up at Dobbies garden centre with old friend N., whom we’ve not seen for years. He  insists on treating us to a cream tea – the scones are almost the size of small loaves – and insists on buying us each a plant from the garden centre.

The following Friday we meet him again, this time with his parner S. whom neither C. nor I have seen for fifty years. After consuming another cream tea, we all go back to the flat, until their parking ticket runs out.

Although he has never met Isis, N. has heard all about her, and seen her photos. He tells me about the horse rescue/sanctuary of which he is a hands on trust member, and mentions that the Cinnamon Trust (which by pre-arrangement takes and cares for pets who outlive their owners) has its main sanctuary close by. I tell him that I will join as the thought of Isis outliving me is always at the back of my mind.

N. immediately assures me that Isis will come to him if I pop my clogs before she does.

I am very touched by this. I’d not thought of asking him, as he lives so far away, but I know that he would keep his promise. I also know that there is no-one in the world who would care more passionately about her well-being.

This has been some holiday, and, of course, the pleasure of picking up my Isis is still to come!

She is brought into the yard, wagging her tail slowly as she walks. She sniffs out Tracey and shares her wags with her, then, finally, with me.

She is very circumspect in her greeting, though, and clearly quite underwhelmed by our reunion.

But that’s Isis.

There is no mistaking her pleasure at being home, though: when we step into our porch, she wags and wags and wags.

It’s so good to have her home again.

Isis came from Aeza cat and dog rescue in Aljezur, Portugal. For information about adopting an animal from the centre, contact kerry@azea.org or go to http://www.dogwatch.co.uk.