Rick is a good natured, friendly and loveable dog – until he comes face to face with the milkman, the newspaper delivery man or the postman at which point he turns into a demented werewolf and I have to hold his lead very tightly to restrain him.
On Tuesday I set off with Rick for his early morning walk. It is always carefully timed so that we do not encounter any of the people mentioned above. We stepped outside into a white, frozen winter wonderland, it was very pretty. I set off down the driveway and turned left to walk along the main road through the village. After a few yards I realised that the pathway and the road were covered in ice and my feet were starting to slide from underneath me. I’m okay on roller skates but not on ice. Just to make matters worse the milkman suddenly appeared ahead of me, quite a distance away but coming towards us. Rick pricked his ears and his head went up, he had spotted his nemesis. There was no way I was going to be able to stay upright on the ice if he started pulling on his lead. There were no grass verges at this point so I headed towards the garden of an empty house where I was able to get a firm foothold on the grass. We hid behind a hedge until the milkman had passed.
I carried on up the village walking along the grass verge and keeping off the slippery footpath and road. We walked as far as the church and then turned around and headed for home. I was just starting to relax when Mrs Yorkshire and her two spaniels, Bob and Sam, came into view walking towards me. Sam is a sweetie but Bob is a terror and this was going to be a sure recipe for disaster. I decided to risk crossing the road and headed into a building site where we waited in the long grass until Mrs Yorkshire and her dogs had slid past.
We eventually made it home. “Nice walk?” asked Paul.
Who's that woman hiding in the bushes? Oh, it's just Sue again!
ReplyDeleteI could get quite a reputation.
DeleteI trust that you wear some form of hi viz jacket and Rick has something visible as I noticed when getting up at 6.30 and 7 it is still dark. I see dog walkers and runners around here in dark clothing. Not a good thing and very dangerous as most of them are on narrow country lanes.
DeleteSorry, I didn't mean to put this comment under Cro's, I meant it to go with my comment.
DeleteRarely leave the house before half seven in winter so it is quite light by the time we go out. Rick has a hi-viz harness.
DeleteRick is still quote a handful
ReplyDeleteDoes he still bark at white vans?
Sometimes. Mostly in fact!
DeleteThat all sounds almost furtive...
ReplyDeleteAnyone watching would have thought it was very strange behaviour.
DeletePeople will think that you are a spy!
ReplyDeleteFortunately most people are not up and about at that time of day.
DeleteAh, the joys of dog ownership! Our Duke was such another as Rick!
ReplyDelete"Hello? Police? Yes. I want to report some suspicious activity in our village. A blonde woman with a vicious dog has been trespassing on private property and casing the joints... Yes. She is still there. Oh dear! Ha-ha! she is just fallen down on the icy pavement. I think her dog pulled her over. Could you get an ambulance too?"
ReplyDeleteYup, that just about sums it up.
DeleteWhat we do not do for our dogs? I can relate to avoiding others when walking with my dog on his leash. When my dog sees someone he does not like, I have to wrap the leash around the tree to anchor the dog. He is voracious. Otherwise he is okay.
ReplyDeleteI don't like to be unfriendly but my walks often twist and turn in unplanned directions to avoid certain other dog walkers.
DeleteHow come you do the slippery morning walk is Paul still in bed, or making you a hearty breakfast::)
ReplyDeleteI prefer the early mornings! But next time it's icy I shall send him out with Rick instead.
DeleteLOL. Rick is an opinionated dog.
ReplyDeleteHe certainly is.
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