doglets

Seren wasn’t an easy puppy to love, she seemed really angry at being a dog. A bad tempered wasp of a dog, the anti-puppy. Baby Seren only related to Frodi who isn’t the best role model, we humans were just the food people. Seren seemed constantly cross, quick to temper, nippy, grumbly and tetchy.  
We’ve always let our new dogs sleep on our bed until they find their own sleeping spot in the house. Seren declined, glaring at us from Frodi’s basket or chose to sleep in the bathroom. She would perform tricks for only food. No treat, no somersault.

Ten months, several kilos later, Seren is the most affectionate, lovable rubbery lump of playful dogness. Seren loves being alive, loves being a dog and everything is just BRILLIANT. She has decided she does want to sleep on our bed, does want to be turned upside down for tummy rubs and will do tricks for love....(well almost)

And the rest of the world hasn’t been good to Seren. I have to remind myself that for all the hundreds of people we pass without incident, the anti-dog ones are the minority. But Seren is only absorbing the bad times. She has a wilful personality and can be demanding, but a lot of her behaviour is now coming from fear and a series of bad incidents

On a walk, a man came rushing out of his house, one of those front doors that go directly onto the pavement. He narrowly missed us, started yelling in my face and glaring at Seren, who fear-barked back at him. The more he got in my face about my fkin rottweiler, the more Seren reacted.

In the park, an off-lead bouncy staffy ran up gleefully but unexpectedly behind her, sniffed and pawed her back, totally spooking her out. Seren turned and growled. The owner was yelling over “it’s ok he’s friendly, he’s only playing” The first rule of dog-park life is that both sides have to agree on-lead and at distance to the “only playing”. It’s not fair or helpful to let an off lead dog run, however cheerfully, at a dog who has no escape. Seren wet herself, then tried again to defend herself, so this was a clumsy struggle of me clinging desperately to her lead and trying to politely keep the other dog away. The owner offered to put her dog back in the car because he wasn’t giving up trying to get Seren to play and apparently wasn’t good on a lead....

But the damage was done, Seren was now edgy and feared. I half dragged her back to our car with the staffy still trotting behind us. He was a friendly, happy soul and in another dimension I might have happily let Seren play with him. 

Seren’s relationship with other dogs and people is tense. Walks, now, are us playing the Pink Panther, tip toeing along, hiding behind lamp posts and diving up alleys. This isn't good for either of us.

Frodi is OK though he looks bereft on the odd occasion he has to be left. He’s enjoying his 7 miles twice a week with G and for a 13year old dog he is very fit.

We know we should get another dog. Hippy is pretty much home all day but even so it’s wrong to leave a dog like Frodi alone for more than an hour. We don’t want to buy a dog while so many are in rescue but the rescues have rigid homing policies. We’re too old, too disabled, too honest, we won’t walk her everyday, Frodi will grumble at the home assessor. Being turned down would make me rage, however reasonable the reasons. Like failing an interview for a job I didn't want. How dare they.

The Midlands rescues seem to be wall-to-wall staffys (bit small for us) or dogs who can’t live with other dogs. We don’t mind not having a puppy but not so old that we’re soon losing again. If we go to Sunnyside, the homing policy is more flexible but we know it will be rows of sad, discarded staffys.

Sunnyside do ask that the existing dog has a walk with potential dog on a lead. Frodi doesn’t do leads very well and there is no off-lead area. And it’s sort of meaningless, it’s the introduction in the home that is crucial to whether Frodi accepts his new companion. Frodi liked Dotty but he did try to bully Thorn. He’s great with other dogs out on his walks, especially if he’s off-lead. The internet is full of young dogs for cash sale whose owners’ personal circumstances have changed. I’ve seen a couple of female Rottweiler cross in Birmingham rescues but it’s quite far now for us, if things didn’t work out and we had to return her. We don't mind a few foibles to iron out but perhaps not the full on neurotic mess that Frodi was.

But I know she’s out there, there’s a name, basket and eccentric elderly collie companion waiting.

Kato eyed the kind strangers who had appeared in our hall. She considered going through her friends list and giving them the fang.

“Can I go off lead?” Kato asked instead

“Sure you can Sweetness” I said “Run free Angel”

“You taste of crisps again” Kato said, and peacefully drifted away.

The entire cast of Wind in the Willows neighbour hipsters were all cardiganed up, bearding around their bins.

“Brown bin only tomorrow” I said wisely, though they never actually take their bins in. Bin Mavericks – probably some obscure hipster band I’ve never heard. I felt Kato prickling at the end of the lead as she went through her Friends List. Canine Brain compared the hipster to the ten people on her friends list.

There was a click and a whirr from inside Canine Deep Thought as she hovered over her three Simons. She moved on remembering none of her Simons have ever been seen in a genuine Dad cardigan with fake leather elbow patches.

A hipster raised his hand.

“He’s Got A Gun!” yelped Kato and engaged full doing it in her pants defensive. Her spine fur stegosaurus style as if she had been electrocuted “Oops, my bad, kebab tray”

“Sorry” I said “Take no notice of her, so it’s brown bin when you’re in any doubt and with the grey bin, I find if I crush my boxes...Ouch Kato! Sorry, she must really need the loo”

Kato pulled impatiently at the lead.

“That wasn’t nice Kato” I said “Are you really so desperate to poo?”

“Saving you from yourself, striking up conversations about bins with people under the age of 25” said Kato

A young Lolly visited. Labrador / Collie Cross, cute wiggly playful thing called Dotty. Kato immediately sulked and loudly barked at the Whore Dog Intruder. This is Princess Kato Zone and other dogs must not be cuter or have any attention.

Dotty did her play dead trick and then wrestled a tennis ball.

“Amazing” swooned Frodi having a quick groom with his back paw.

“Pathetic” snarked Kato and continued woofing her displeasure at Dotty.

Kato was evicted into the garden. Frodi invited Dotty to see his etchings, one of his earlier works on the living room door called Separation Anxiety.

Kato was bouncing up and down shouting Flea Ridden Slag Bitch and He Touches Sheep through the window.

I had a bi-lateral mastectomy a few weeks ago and my recovery is frustratingly slow. Kato Walk has been contracted out to freelancers. Frodi happiness is not affected if he doesn’t walk. Kato gets miserable cabin fever if she doesn’t get out every 2-3 days. There are very few people that Kato knows / trusts well enough to be at the other end of the lead. Kato isn’t nasty but shyness makes her stubborn. It has to be someone she has recognition for and is permitted to touch the royal head and issue the royal commands.

Kato view is that this contracted out walking arrangement has worked out most agreeable. Every time the door goes she thinks it’s either G or J, come to take her out.
"Oh" said Kato trying not to look disappointed when I appeared with the lead, looking round me to see if G or J had managed to arrive without her launching herself at them. You know who your friends are when they still come back after being pinned to the floor by 35kg excited dog.

Our usual bread & butter walk is round the local streets but the danger is that we might meet a feline infidel. I’m pretty sore and would have to let go of the lead if Kato did even one of her most half-hearted lunges and she could end up in a busy road.

We had a lift to the park and set off, my goal was Cricket Poo Bin and back, less than 0.4 mile .We reached the poo bin and I had to sit down. I burst into tears and hugged Kato.

One cancer survivor hugging another.

“Sorry it’s so short” I sniffed into her fur

“S’ok” said Kato and stuck her cold wet nose in my eye then licked my face “You taste like crisps”

“We should head back” I said wiping my face with my sleeve

“I’ll do you another poo” said Kato “Always a comfort”