Sunday May 19th 2024

I am very sad to write that all of Nancy’s physical problems have defeated her at last, and she had to be put to sleep today.

Bev and Tony are heartbroken.

The first time I ever saw her, she had not yet had her vaccinations, and was in Bev’s arms in Kings Heath Park wriggling vigorously, all long black hairy legs, like an indignant tarantula.

She was thirteen, and a character all of her life. She was also the sweetest natured dog you could hope to meet. In spite of this, she once saw off a burglar who had not woken up either Tony or her brother Rufus, who were sleeping close by. She shot out of the french door and pursued him to the garden wall which he managed to scramble over just in time to escape.

She loved other dogs, especially puppies, but would defend Isis immediately if an aggressive dog approached her.

I will miss her too.

This is one of my favourite photos of Nancy and Rufus.

He was not always a very gentle big brother, but she was always a very resilient dog!

*****

Although over the last few weeks the sun shines on poor Isis virtually every day, she is still enjoying her walks. True, she sometimes needs a little encouragement to get going. She must be getting on for eleven/twelve by now, and I feel that I must take this into account, and not push her to walk too far; however, I am reminded this week that too far seems to vary enormously, depending on where we walk and how many new scents there are.

We cover all of her regular walks this week: Kings Heath Park, Highbury Park and Holders Lane. On Sunday I think she’ll be bored in Kings Heath Park, but I forget that she’s not been here for several days, during which time a multitude of new scents have been deposited. So many, in fact, that we spend over ninety minutes wandering around wherever she leads us.

We go to Holders Lane twice. She has to be prompted to set off, but this is not unusual. For some reason, she is never keen to walk down the main path, but perks up as soon as we reach the track which runs alongside the allotments, where the strong scents seem to be.

It’s a warm day, and I decide that we’ll go back to the car when we reach the main path. But she doesn’t want to, and trots pointedly along to the second bridge, to where the track along the river Rea begins. This is her favourite walk. The river is in full spate, and although she has never put a paw wrong, I am still watchful as she navigates her way confidently along the twists and turns.

Although we have walked this walk numerous times, I still marvel at her sure footedness. At one point, where the bank seems to have eroded more each time we pass it, there is barely room for my feet, even one at a time! I bend to reach her collar to guide her along the six inches of remaining earth, but she walks onto a large, flattened plant in the hedgerow to her left and passes the spot with ease.

Obviously, other walkers have used this plant to step on, but how on earth does she know it’s there?

Her nose tells her, of course.

So she walks steadily forward, while I bang my head on the very hard limb of a tree which bows low over the path.

We emerge at the second bridge, she walks up the steep slope as effortlessly as ever, and we turn onto the football/athletics field.

Here, she finds more alluring scents, and even breaks into a brief trot to pursue them.

I have noticed over the last few months that she checks on me more frequently than she used to, sometimes every few footsteps, and becomes anxious if I’m not by her side – unless, of course, she’s on the track of some invisible creature. And even then, instead of coming back, she will stand where she is, looking confused and waiting for me to ‘find’ her.

While away from home, she is definitely less confident, and slower than she used to be; at home, she still tosses her toys around, jumps up and down with delight when I put her collar on each morning, and play fights me vigorously every time I put her harness on, just as she did when she was young.

In fact, it has been necessary to curb her harness time wildness after, a few weeks ago, she sunk a tooth between the joints of my index and middle finger. It hurt, and I responded by removing her harness and throwing it on the floor in front of her.

I can tell when she is about to play rough because her front right paw, which has to be placed into the harness first is rigid, instead of limp. A rigid paw elicits a loud, growly “I-SIS!“, and now this is enough to prompt her to produce a limp, compliant paw. Once the harness is over her head, she is allowed to jump around and bark as she has always done, before we emerge onto the front path.

Despite her disabilities, she is, as I always tell the vet, the healthiest animal I’ve ever had.

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.