I am now nearly six months old, and I feel quite grown up. Life is wonderful and I can’t wait for each new day to begin. Indeed, I am so impatient to start my walks I can’t help but bark and bite at Shep. Luckily, he just ignores me, but Julie gets quite cross and even the neighbours have noticed how noisy I am.
Anyway, I am only a young dog. At my age, the hormones are beginning to whizz around my body, and I am just not as calm as I used to be. I find all of the ‘out of the ordinary’ things - like horse riders, cyclists, motorbikes, and joggers particularly scary. From a distance they are okay, but often, they simply appear out of nowhere and I have to have a good shout about it. The secret is for Julie and the rest of my humans to be as calm and patient as possible until I realise that they don't mean me any harm.
I am really enjoying life though. I love chasing Shep and being chased by him and, if there are any other friendly and willing dogs around, I am always up for a game.
I have got one talent though that Julie doesn't approve of. I am brilliant at finding the carcasses of dead animals and I particularly like the smelly ones.
Yesterday morning I got the delectable scent of decomposing rabbit in my nostrils, and determined to find it, I zigzagged my way all across the common, completely ignoring Julie’s commands to stop. It was such a prize when I found it and I flung it from side to side in my excitement. Julie tried to catch me and take it off me, but I ducked, dived and dodged her. Finally, I realised that it wasn’t a game, and I surrendered my cadaver!
I do love smelly things – and Shep does too – and one of his favourite pastimes is rolling in brown smelly excrement – lovely!!! I can’t think why humans object to it so much! Ho hum!!
Another highlight of walking on the common for most dogs is Peachfield Pond and I have just discovered it . Apparently the first time that Zak came here, he fell in. The favourite game that dogs love to play seems to be fetching balls from the water but I am not very confident yet. It scares me when my paws can’t feel the bottom and, if the ball drifts too far away, I just am too scared to try to reach it. Luckily Shep is very brave, and he just swims out to retrieve it no matter where it is. I am glad that the balls float!!
There is so much to learn every day, but I often don't get things right - but that is to be expected - After all, I am still not quite six months old.
