Tuesday 30 October 2007

Where does she go?

Two mornings now she has taken me out for a walk, we've had breakfast and then she changes her clothes. Into the kitchen, a load of cobblers about me being a good boy and that she has to go to work.
WORK? Doesn't have any sheep to deal with, so how can it be work.
Yesterday I tried a small bark but it didn't help. So today I didn't go into the kitchen. MBNAD woman then got my nice blue play ball and tossed it into the kitchen. Not bad for ten years old, if I say it myself. Into the kitchen, caught the ball and back out into the hall before she could get me into the kitchen. So it was all down to the Mrs Discipline Voice. I gave in.
Nice girl again to see me in the day and then MBNAD woman is back in those clothes that cannot be for work. She was a bit later today; something about train delays. I suspect that there might be someone else. I'll watch her carefully tomorrow.

Monday 29 October 2007

New balls

Sunday

Took them both out for a walk today. There were these big cages with people in them playing with balls and bats. I woofed to see if I could play with them too.
The short one brought a present - a blue ball. I suppose that's supposed to be some kind of compensation.
Well, at least they know how to play the game. Had the short one running around quite a bit till she worked out what the rules were. Didn't the white dog teach them anything?
Had lots of big hugs with the small one. She seems to be packing a bag again. Is she being re-homed too?

Monday
I was right. The woman took me out for a walk and when we got back, the short one had a bag ready to leave and they went away in the car without me. Perhaps the woman exchanged me for her?
I liked her, but on reflection, if it's a choice of her or me, then she has to go.

This evening we went out for another walk past the same place as yesterday. There is a little house there and I went inside before the woman could stop me. There were lots of bright green balls and a kind person gave me one from a pile of old ones and said I could keep it.

So now I have a green ball and a blue ball. Almost like it used to be.

Saturday 27 October 2007

Terra Nova

Friday 26th October
Waking up in my new home. Couldn't believe that it wasn't a dream. MBNAD woman makes breakfast for me and has stopped weeping. I feel it's only temporary. Despite her soggy tendencies, I think that she is worth cultivating. Extremely susceptible to the head on knee technique.
Out for the same walk as yesterday. Doesn't she know anywhere else to go? We get back to that bridge again and I veer off sharply right. MBNAD gets the message. That was HER walk not mine. We'll go my way round the pond, thank you.
More jacket potato. Limited walking and cooking repertoire.
Later, in the car. How far this time? Settling down for a sleep, we're there before I know it. I recognise this kind of place. Smells of frightened animals. I have only been a couple of times to these kind of places and the last time I lost the crown jewels. What can they be expecting to remove this time. I lie down, protecting what's left.
I might have to revise the view that she's not actually dangerous. Quite small really, but strong enough to pick me up and shove me through the door.
Two warders at the desk. No other dogs but 2 cats in cages.
"Mossie Miller" - a man beckons us towards a small room. He looks in my eyes, my ears, my mouth, prods my belly. Remarks on my recent sad loss. I sit down just in case there's anything worse in store. "C'mon old boy - let's pop you on the scales". Definitely revising the view now. I think that maybe I am being sized up for eating. 21kg. Is that with or without stuffing?
"Don't look so sad - come look me in the eye, you've no need to look submissive now". If you were going to be making a guest appearance on the table on Christmas Day, how cheerful would you look?
They have a really fascinating 5 minutes on fleas, worms and ticks.
Outside, back with the warders, MBNAD woman waits for something that will deal with all of the above. The warders all talk about the white dog but look at me in a kindly way.
More cats in cages and one very small puppy. They'll never get that big enough for Christmas.
Home for dinner - she says I deserve a treat for being a good boy.
At bedtime, she says "Night night Mossie, night night Bella" but doesn't cry, much.

Saturday 27th

Today she says she's going to try leaving me for a short time. I try to sleep but I don't know what a short time means. When she gets back, I'll try a little bark to remind her that I don't much like this being on my own.
Then it's in the car again and off we go to get another dog. Perhaps she wants a choice of eating.

Not a dog. A person.
Short, even shorter than MBNAD woman. But she smells of the house, the house smells of her. Long thick mane - she must take a lot of grooming. Well, it will keep the woman busy. This short person is very keen on hugging me. Warm and cuddly, though.
I teach her a trick. If she gives me a treat, I will hold out my paw. Quick learner.



Out for dinner - should I dress? The small one washes and the woman grooms her. And I am right: all that dark hair does take a lot of brushing.

Where we go for dinner there's a cat. It has very bad language.

Home (is this home? how long for?) and bedtime.

"Night night Mossie, night night Katherine, night night Bella". She doesn't cry tonight.

Friday 26 October 2007

Mossie's big day



Thursday 25th October 2007
My day started really on Wednesday when I started my long journey from Ireland. I tried to tell Ann that I could stay and would be good and although she looked sad, she still sent me away. All the way from Galway to Rosslare (wherever they are... I only left the farm a few weeks ago). Loaded into a cage and into a van and then onto a ferry. . Nothing in the last 10 years had prepared me for this, but at least I wasn't seasick unlike some of the others. I felt I had to be really brave since I seemed to be the only grown up in the van. Some of them were really little - and they cried most of the time.
I have always been able to sleep in most places but the cage was uncomfortable. The man driving was nice, but had a lot to do with all the little ones.
Fishguard, Wales. Wherever that is. Off the ship, at least But we're still not there. I don't even know where there is. What there looks like. Who will be there. Will there be frightening. I don't even know why I'm being sent there. Hours and hours in the van, long and not very winding road. My nose itches.
Still dark, we turn off the road into a small clearing. P-I-C-N-I-C A-R-E-A. My cage is at the back of the van so I can see out a bit. I wish I knew what "picnic area" meant.
Donal, the man driving, opened the van and took out one of the little ones. Barking, in that frantic puppy way. Gone. Voices outside.
"Mossie's a lovely old boy, really nice"
"I'm sure he'll be smashing"
Smashing - what does she think I'm going to do? Run a Greek restaurant? Well, at least she sounds harmless. But you never can tell.
Door opening, cage opening. Lead on collar. Oh my goodness, I must get a grip on my syntax.
She doesn't look actively dangerous but the light isn't too good yet. Squinting up, I can only see a streak of dawn light.
"Gosh, aren't you a sweetheart". Who says "gosh"?
At least I managed a pee in the woods before another van. Except this isn't a van. It's one of those car things. The mad-but-not-actively-dangerous woman has a feeble attempt to shove me into the car thing. No back doors so I have to climb in. Vans are easier. I have been thinking so much about me in the last few minutes that I forgot the others. They were depending on me.
And now I am on my own. Caninely, speaking. She's been mumbling something but I have no idea what she means so I settle down for another long journey. My eyes are hardly closed when we stop again. We're here. Here? is that a bit like "there"? It's just dark. Maybe there is just dark.
"Come on Mossie" - a house thing. I am expected to go in. A house. Scents. Another dog. They complain when we smell but their houses are full of smells. Some I can't work out at all. Dog, cat, people, garlic. But there's only the woman here now.
A bowl: water. A bowl: food. I wait, just in case one of the big boys is around. MBNAD woman pushes the food towards me. Just check that no-one else wants it. Go for it Mossie. I can feel one of those gosh moments coming on too.
Tired now.
MBNAD woman says "Shall we go for a walk?" leaving me feeling like it's not really optional. I suppose I won't feel so stiff if I walk for a bit and I do need to go. She'll remember the poo bag next time.
Cars, vans, buses - and that's just to get to our walk. Woods with lots of strange scents. MBNAD woman likes this walk and she talks to me a lot. A pond , trees and a bridge. MBNAD woman is really sad here, ears back and nose down. She says "we call the bridge 'The Pooh Sticks Bridge' ". Whatever. We set off towards it. There on the bridge. White dog. Old. Waiting. Puffing, pink tongue lolling out. Just as if she had raced to get there first. She.



MBNAD woman can't see her. But she's doing that wet thing from her eyes and nose and there's no way I'm crossing that bridge with a snivelling woman. And the dog I could smell in the house is standing in the middle of the bridge. "Come on Mossie", says MBNAD woman. I feel she's going to say that a lot.
I crawl onto the bridge, belly to the ground. We've both got ears back and nose down now. She stops in the middle, next to the other dog who is giving me a hard stare by now. After a moment, we walk on, leaving the white dog still watching us. "Come on Mossie, she's not really there". MBNAD but really stupid.
Back to the house. So tired. At least she's not wet now.
Sleep for a bit. Floor is hard but I am so tired I could sleep on my nose, If it it didn't itch.
Waking suddenly, she's has gone. I look round and hear her. Above. How?
Looking up, I see her head and there is this path going up. "I'm only upstairs, Mossie". Only up what? I put my foot on the bottom steps of the path and she comes down baring her teeth but not in a biting way.
She sits at the bottom of the steps and puts her arms round me. Resting my head on her knee, I think that she might be ok. With training.
Another doze and I wake to her doing some food that I don't recognise. "Jacket potato, Mossie, my lunch not yours!". A voice, unbidden, urges me to try this strange food. I do the sitting neatly, paws together, pleading eyes. It works, it works! I try this potato - food of the angels. Remember this, says the white dog
After another sleep, I find that she has gone back upstairs. This time I follow and when I get to the top she tells me all about the upstairs rooms. Sleeping and washing, mainly.
Washing. Oh no. I am trying to blank out what came next. Yes, I smelt. It has taken me years to get like that. Distinctive. Powerful. Now I smell medicated. If the other boys used to beat me up before, they would have such a lot of fun with me now.
"I think that I need a cup of tea" says MBNAD woman. I watch carefully and she asks if I want one too. I have NO IDEA what she's on about but the jacket potato was a good experiment so I do that thing again that seems to work. So, there in the bowl is this light brown, milky liquid. Not a jacket potato, then. Tongue in, experimentally. Slightly warm, makes my tongue curl in a pleasant way. Tannic, says the voice.
Bed time, Mossie. Where now? A bed, all for me.
"Night, night Mossie, night, night, Bella" she says. But I know that the white dog isn't here tonight.