Thursday 25th August 2016
A 'long' walk at Eggesford Forest
This is Firefly, our red setter puppy who was 10 months old exactly on Monday. He is the youngest of six dogs that we own and without doubt the one whose name seems to be on our lips rather a lot more than any of the others... Read on...
We don’t think we know any smallholdings that don’t have dogs. Most seem to be pets rather than 'working' dogs and most, like ours, have a fabulous life enjoying the space and outdoors that living on a smallholding usually offers. A lot of them get their daily exercise simply by exploring their own land with the sight of a ‘lead’ usually only meaning one thing: a trip to the vets!
We tend to take ours to the local woods most mornings, usually for a good hour or so and then in the evenings we might take a stroll around one or both of our fields as well. And so it was this morning that we drove the short distance to Eggesford Woods, opened up the boot and let the dogs run off up the path. We followed them and at various points on the walk, we all 'met' up, treats were given and off we all went again. Except at one meeting point Buzzard (our 4th oldest, a Gordon Setter aged five and a half) and Firefly did not appear. We blew the whistle and Buzz came flying but NOT Firefly. At the next meeting point there was still no sign of him and then we were back at the car park and starting to feel a little anxious.
TWO hours later, by which time we had both walked back over the entire morning’s route twice each (having deposited the rest of the dogs back home), Jack (who was back in the car park) heard the sound of a dog collar and looked round in horror to see Firefly running full pelt along the side of the road and straight past the car park entrance: said road incidentally, being the very busy A377 (no pavements). There was obvious relief too but only when Firefly had been put on the lead and was safely away from cars and lorries travelling at 60mph!!
For the rest of the day Firefly was a tad subdued (and knackered) although unfortunately we have zero faith he has learnt from his lesson and even less than zero faith that tomorrow he will be a ‘good’ boy, and NOT go out of our sight for the entire walk...
We don’t think we know any smallholdings that don’t have dogs. Most seem to be pets rather than 'working' dogs and most, like ours, have a fabulous life enjoying the space and outdoors that living on a smallholding usually offers. A lot of them get their daily exercise simply by exploring their own land with the sight of a ‘lead’ usually only meaning one thing: a trip to the vets!
TWO hours later, by which time we had both walked back over the entire morning’s route twice each (having deposited the rest of the dogs back home), Jack (who was back in the car park) heard the sound of a dog collar and looked round in horror to see Firefly running full pelt along the side of the road and straight past the car park entrance: said road incidentally, being the very busy A377 (no pavements). There was obvious relief too but only when Firefly had been put on the lead and was safely away from cars and lorries travelling at 60mph!!
For the rest of the day Firefly was a tad subdued (and knackered) although unfortunately we have zero faith he has learnt from his lesson and even less than zero faith that tomorrow he will be a ‘good’ boy, and NOT go out of our sight for the entire walk...