Boris for Ten Days

As this blog cruises in towards its 1000th posting it has recently passed the joint milestones of 10,000 hits and 14,000 views. Go us - we're never going to be a best seller but it's a quietly satifying way to keep you in touch with our comings and goings and I know its enjoyed regularly by family and freinds, so if you keep reading it, I'll keep a-writing it.

We have a house-guest for the next 10 days or so, young Boris, 7 month old westie of 2CV Llew who is off to the foreign. Not a secretive doggie, our Boris - makes his presence felt in no uncertain manner. He may have had 'abandonment issues' in his difficult life pre-Llew, but he's now very clingy and gets very anxious if Llew leaves him.

Llew has been trying to wean him off 100% contact by leaving him behind in the house for short bursts of an hour or two (and anyone who has done this will know the guilty forebodings that come with shutting the door and trying to ignore the crying, whimpering and yipping as it fades out of earshot, plus the strength you need not to just nip back and check on the dog). You may have also done the getting-through-the-first-night thing when you are trying to break the 'must-sleep-together' bond as we did with Deefs not long ago

So we had a bit of yipping as Llew drove away with the other dog, Rosie (she's 'kennelled' at another friend's for the week) but Boris soon settled to the fact that he still had Haggis and I and Mum and Dad. Then we had another quick upset as Dad went to bed before Mum and then it really kicked off with a couple of hours of yipping, crying, weeoing-and-wailing, scratching, restlessness and chewing of bath sponges and tissues. However, Mum and Dad did not flinch, and everyone managed to get at least some sleep through the night. Boris was very very pleased to see Dad at breakfast time, then Dad went off to work for a half day, so he thinks Mum may have had some more boldness, early hours.

Dog walking with Boris is also an interesting experience as he seems to have no idea of direction. Admittedly he does not know the area, but even so, he shows an alarming tendency to suddenly turn 90 degrees off the pavement onto the busy road, or up someone's drive. He is also a good one for coming back by a different route, thus entangling the lead round bits of gate, fence or street-furniture. He is also a one for 'Maypole dancing', attempting to entangle the lead round a) Dad and b) all the other leads.

We'll survive though, Boris - you'll not defeat us!

Deefs

Not that dexterous then?

Ha! Mum is always saying we have to do what the humans say because they are a superior species, on account of the bigger brain and opposable thumbs

We are walking tonight across the cemetary, which is streaming with bunnies. We are all three on the "Flexi-" extendable leads now and Dad, with big hands, is just about able to hold the three handles in one hand. We are making it tricky for him though, as we zigzag to and fro spotting rabbits, making like a maypole with the leads, with Dad as the pole. He suspects that our mission is to run enough rings round that we end up "bolas"-ing him round the legs like an Argentinian cowboy

Avoiding this on his part demands a certain dexterity, but then he gets a mobile phone call from the Hon Sec of the local "In-Bloom" committee, of which Dad is Treasurer, so he can't not answer it. Suddenly he is juggling three flexi leads and a mobile. Here I feint to the left (anti clockwise) and then whip to my right, executing an escape manouvre which will here-after be known as the Deefum-Shufti, almost giving him whiplash in the little finger in the process. Not so dexterous now, Dad!

I am free - and I treat the assembled gaping spectators with 10 minutes of charging round the bushes and trees, now you see me now you don't, zig zagging hither and yon in pursuit of bunnies (which are also zipping about from cover to cover) trailing 6 feet of blue tape lead and the big blue flexi reel handle retractory thingy. Dad is having caniptions at the thought of the lead becoming entangled in a bush but keeps his cool, chatting to the Hon Sec till the phone call ends, then rather coolly (I thought) stamping on the handle as I whizz by (foolishly coming back into range at that point). I am nearly garrotted due to going at warp 4 and stopping dead.

Fun while it lasted though!
Deef (cough cough) -er