Training

I did something very bad yesterday. I didn’t walk the dogs. It’s ok as long as you only do it once in a blue moon. They do have a garden to stretch their legs in and relieve themselves and seeing as if interviewed they would say their favouritist thing ever is being on the sofa, and they spent all day on there, they actually had a very fine day indeed. With my partner being sick and me up to my eyes in job hunting/applications time just slipped away.

Plagued by guilt however, I got up this morning and with less than half a cup of coffee in me and still so bleary eyed I put both contact lenses in the same eye (how does that happen?) we headed off for a longer than usual walk to make up for the previous day. We walked for ages and for most of the time it was just us and nature, but then two other dog walkers appeared with a gorgeous little Staffy girl, who unfortunately Bess chased. Bess is going through a period of anxiety where she runs up to other dogs barking. She doesn’t attack or growl but it’s still unacceptable behaviour. So much so, I’ve bought a 10m training line which when we’re walking somewhere extra busy or where I don’t have clear sight of what is coming up ahead, I can have her on lead but with a bit more freedom than if she was on her normal lead. The other dog owners weren’t happy and I can’t really blame them. I did apologise but even those people that know Bess and know how gentle and loving and silly she is, would have to admit that if she was running toward them at full tilt there would be a moment – albeit flickering – where they might have wished they hadn’t had such a large breakfast.

It’s all about perception and because we have allowed people to brutalise certain breeds, Staffy’s being one of those breeds, society thinks that when they see a dog like Bess (Staffy/Mastiff x) trouble isn’t far behind. Ironic then that after a life time of being beaten and treated so appallingly, the worst she can come up with is running up to dogs barking and then running back to me looking guilty...

Still, she shouldn’t be doing it whichever way you look at it so we’ve got to do some training.

I’m working on a proposal for a consultancy gig – writing an equality booklet; something I’ve done before, and if I can finish that today then I’ll be right on schedule. I’m trying to do things as soon as they come in. It’s partly in the vain hope that lots of well paid jobs come up in Cornwall. I don’t want to have applications stacked up which may mean I miss deadlines or rush them.

So on that note...