NEWS FROM IBERIA

NEWS FROM IBERIA

The last year or so has been rather full, some things good and some not so good.  When we came back from Bolivia, I had to set about letting all the neighbours (canine and human) know that I was here.  I decided to be rather decisive about this as results would be achieved all the sooner, so I barked long and loud at everyone who passed by my territory and soon it was clear that they had  understood the message and all  I had to do now was maintain the status quo.

I was just beginning to enjoy this life of laziness and good times when ..... what did they do?  Take me off to register for classes!  I ask you!  One fine day we all went off in the car and before I knew it I was in a ring being paraded up and down - slow, fast - stop, sit, down.  Twice a week we had to go.  Well, Paddy came along for the ride but I had to do all the hard work.  He just sat in the car watching me and when he got bored he would go for a nap.  After the initial shock to the system, I actually quite enjoyed it.  

At first I was the only “day boy”.  Most of the other pupils were boarders whose families had left them there to be trained and their folks came into the game at the very end, when all the hard work was over, to learn the essential dos and don’ts.  They were mostly German shepherds.  I was at a bit of a disadvantage there.  You know how it is!  These German shepherds have brainwashed everyone into thinking they are so smart so when I appeared on the scene, a shaggy, long-haired specimen, well, they sort of don’t take you seriously.  However, I did manage to overcome that slight disability.  They didn’t push me too hard at first because they had this idea that our kind of people are rather sensitive and need different handling from the tougher German specimens.  I was fairly amenable in all this and did not put up too much opposition.

Then another puppy came along to join the class - a rottweiler.  He was smart and full of fun and learned really fast.  The next recruit was a dalmatian.  The problem there was not “Golfo” (That’s his name and it means Ragamuffiin) but his owner who was a teacher.  I hope he imposed better discipline in his schoolroom than he did with his dog, because Golfo just did whatever he liked.  He didn’t do anything drastic, mind you.  It’s just that he didn’t like the idea of sitting and staying so he would get himself into all kinds of contortions trying to avoid sitting down.  Then, one day things got serious and Golfo thought it might be wiser after all to do as he was asked without making too much fuss about it.  After that, he got on like a house on fire and made great strides.

I had never had any phobias but suddenly, one day in summer when we were walking along the beach, fireworks went off and I got the fright of my life.  After that I was always on the lookout for more big bangs so my folks decided they had better nip this potential problem in the bud and we did some noise training at my classes.  We had guns, and squibs and then we graduated to rockets. I can’t say I like these shocking noises any better than before, but I think I did learn to seek refuge with my own folks and not just pelt off in any old direction.  

My best days were when prospective new pupils came to have a look at what we did there all parading up and down.  Then I really pulled all the stops out.  I would stride out decisively, stop dead at the slightest upward movement of the lead, sit stock still, lie down in a most dignified posture, wait till given the order to proceed and then I would swagger past them all with my nose in the air.  It really is great to be able to show off a bit now and then!


Then just before Christmas something really horrifying happened. We went out for one of our rambles in the hills.  We parked the car and set off.  Paddy was off the lead and I was not.  Suddenly Paddy just dropped down on the ground.  When we tried to stand him up again his legs would not support him.  Then we saw that his lips were turning purple, so we turned tail and rushed back to the car, but, by the time we got to the vet, he was dead - poisoned.  I missed him for a long time because he was the one who showed me all the tricks.  We were going to get another addition to the family but my teacher suggested that they should give me time to find my feet as an independent dog rather than second-in-command.  

I think I’ve done that pretty well now.

Simon