A post should appear every Sunday.

Sunday January 8th 2023

HAPPY

NEW

YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Apologies for the inordinately long gap. Unfortunately, I had an r.a. fatigue wipe out and a low grade infection before Christmas, then covid over the festive – or not – season.

During this unjoyful period, I just managed, disguised by neck-warmers, hood and thick mask, to take Isis out every day except for one, then was comatose for the rest of the day.

Thank goodness we are lucky enough to have vaccines in this country.

I have to report throughout all this, Isis has been brilliant: amazingly patient and undemanding, even though her meals have been presented to her at all hours of the day and night, from 4.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m., and Human, uninvited, has virtually taken over the day bed. Not infrequently, having crashed onto it after the daily walk, Human has remained there until the following morning, without giving poor Hairy One her bedtime treats.

My already fuzzy grasp of dates and time appears to have dissolved completely, so please overlook any impossible feats such as arriving before I’ve set off, or dropping a week here or there, or straying into the wrong month. Also, it goes without saying, I deny any responsibility for syntactical slips, punctuation poops or even, heaven forfend, spelling spmistakes.

During the third week of December, I want to visit my nephew who lives in Yorkshire. This time, I am very apprehensive about leaving Isis at the kennels. Following her being taken at short notice at the beginning of last year, and being made to run the gauntlet between two rows of barking kennelled dogs, to the only vacant, and furthest away kennel, she has not wanted to be left there.

She would only be staying for four nights, but, as all we silly pet owners know, it’s devastating to watch your beloved pet scrabbling to gain a pawhold on the path and turning back to look/sniff pleadingly towards you as s/he’s herded away.

So it is with some apprehension that I pull up at the kennels on December 18th. As we walk through the main gate, I wait miserably for the show-down.

But it doesn’t happen. Isis greets Tracey aimiably, and, without a backward glance, allows Mark to lead her to her Hair B&B. (Sorry, couldn’t resist that.)

What a relief.

She isn’t letting me think that I can take her for granted though, and just leave her somewhere whenever the fancy takes me: when I pick her up, she waves her tail once, then ignores me.

I take her for a walk before we make for home, and when we arrive in the porch, she strolls off down the hallway and disappears into the back room.

Oh.

O.K.

It’s not until the next morning that she joins in our ritual greetings. I place my hand by her nose before sitting next to her, then kiss her head, which, oddly, she loves. She sniffs my face and wags her tail vigorously – unless she’s lying on it, in which case I hook it from underneath her, then she wags it vigorously.

And then, as I’ve already said, Human sinks and Isis is angelic.

Sorry this post is a little short and not hugely inspiring. Human is rapidly running out of energy.

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.