A post should appear every Sunday

Sunday July 9th 2023

On Monday Isis is still reluctant to walk.

On Tuesday we meet up with Bev and Nancy in Holders Lane car park. Bev, who has been on holiday, has read the blog and will observe Hairy One’s behaviour so that she can form her own opinion of what’s going on with the challenging canine.

We walk along the lane adjacent to the allotments. Isis always seems happiest when walking with Nancy, who is quite protective towards her; nevertheless, she walks without enthusiasm, and needs frequent prompting to walk on. After she stops for the umpteenth time, I put her back on the lead, and, for a while, she walks along sniffing happily.

The next time she enters pause-sniff-stop mode, Bev takes her lead, and the pace quickens. Isis does a go-slow and occasionally attempts a sit down, but a quick tug on the lead from the front and a firm pat on the bottom from behind soon get her going again, and we eventually arrive at the MAC  (Midland Arts Centre) café where the humans reward themselves with large coffees.

Nancy, being a sensible dog, enjoys a long drink of water, while Isis, being Isis, refuses to look at it, instead standing with her tongue hanging out. She will enjoy a drink when we return to the car and are both sitting on the back seat with one door open. Yes, only one door as she feels too exposed if both doors are open.

Both dogs are calm and relaxed in the courtyard. When her lead slips out of my hand, Isis even takes a casual stroll. She doesn’t attempt to set off for home though.

When we leave to head back to the car park, Isis is quite happy to walk of course, but anxious to check that we’re close by.

Then she turns off towards another, parallel track. She likes this particular path, and often turns off to follow it. But this time instead of cheerfully trotting off, she stops and stands still.

We wait.

She doesn’t move.

She’s acting as she did in Highbury Park last week, as though she doesn’t know where she is. Then, she’d not move until I walked up and touched her.

Sure enough, she remains standing where she is, in a small clump of trees, until we go and lead her out onto the path. Then she walks ahead, apparently without a care in the world.

Her behaviour is definitely odd, but at least she has given Bev an opportunity to observe her in changed dog mode!

She reverts to her perfectly ‘normal Isis’ self as we walk to the end of the track, emerge onto the main path, and approach the car park.

Well, what does Bev, who has known Isis for nearly ten years, think?

She agrees that although Isis seems perfectly healthy, something definitely isn’t right, there’s a pronounced change in her behaviour, and she seems anxious.

Isis has lost her confidence, Bev thinks, and she puts it down to the many disruptions in routine – Isis has been left in the kennels on five occasions during the last seven months, and one of her stays was for four weeks. She has never before been separated from her human for that length of time.

She thinks that Isis will regain her confidence, given time.

I hope so.

We both know that the very hot weather and long periods of bright sun won’t have helped either. Bev suggests that it might be a good idea for a while, to take Isis only to Kings Heath Park, with which she is most familiar. 

This sounds a very sensible idea, and that’s what we’ve done since Tuesday.

Although she is always thrilled to be harnessed and taken to the car, once in the park Isis has required a great deal of encouragement to walk further than the car park, and most of this week’s ‘walks’ have been little more than toilet visits. (Isis doesn’t mind peeing in the garden, but anything more substantial requires an outing.)

On Friday it is very dull and there are several showers, so Isis spends an enjoyable forty-five minutes in Kings Heath Park, sniffing, exploring, and revisiting old favourite areas. For the first time in a while, both Isis and I enjoy our walk. Very heartening.

But on Saturday it’s hot and horribly humid, the sun is glaring, and Isis can’t wait to head home.

It’s the same this morning.

But Friday’s walk has given me hope, and the weather forecast for this area tells us to expect dull days and rain for most of the next two weeks.

Isis and I are probably the only two in the population who will appreciate this.

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.