Dogs and broken shoes!

Well it’s been another week at the dog pound and a mixed experience again!
First some sad news. Two dogs are going to be put to sleep. Because they bit the workers at the dog centre, so they can’t be trusted! It’s sad because one of them was quite a nice dog, called Johnny. He was excitable and a bit of a handful to get on and off the lead, but he did enjoy a good walk. Of course the centre has to be aware that they can’t home a dog that has a tendency to bit and Johnny caused 7 stitches to be needed. The only option is for them to go to sleep. It was a bit of a tearful start to the dog walking day. Which then for me, got worse!

My wolfdog, behind the bars that imprison him.

My wolf dog, actual name is William. He was supposed to be going to a new home in early July, but he is still here. His new owners have decided to extend their holiday till August so the huge dog is stuck in a small pen for longer! I took him for a walk and as normal he was lovely, till he saw a cat. I’d been warned but in all the walks I have done with him, I guess I’d forgotten the warning. He dragged me across the yard and went savagely for the cat. It was in his mouth and well, not a good sight. I hit him on the head and the cat was released and ran off, with William dragging me behind him for another go. The cat did try to strike back but I could see he was very seriously injured. I managed to drag William away and pen him. Unfortunately the cat had to be taken to the vets and I feel responsible and terrible, yet what could I have done he’s over 10 stone that dog! The new owners do know about his total hatred of cats and the sooner he goes to them, the better.
Just as we were trying to get the cat into a basket for the vets, a couple turned up to look around.
I had to hide the sight of the cat from them and managed to do so.
They were a nice couple from Holland and want to help the animals and are giving a regular donation each month to the sanctuary, which is great as pens need fixing, the grounds need sorting out and the cat pen needs securing! Having regular money really helps this charity to do more than just look after the animals, it can give them long term homes too.

Then my next visit there was a tiny kitten just born and it’s mother had died. I held it and tried to feed it, it’s  a real wriggler and has a great set of lungs.
It is going to a foster home where it will be fed every 1 and 1/2 hours, so hope it makes it.

Then I walked William again and he was on his best behavior. I was on High Alert! I saw a cat in the distance and took William a different way, instead of the sheltered route we take in this summer heat I had to walk him in the opposite direction. There is a cat living under a pile of rubbish in the sheltered area and I was taking no chances. Full sun as it was 32 degrees at 9am and we were both roasting away as we strode off to the tree in the distance. Back to his pen and a good boy for me today.
Then a great experience. Jackie my beautiful Belgian Shepard girl has been moved into a large open pen. Where she can shelter in a back kennel and then move into a space where she can see the sky. She also has a friend, so we took them for a walk together. Jackie was happy, ears up, tail wagging and at the point where I normally meet with resistance, she carried on walking and walking and walking. She wanted to go further, to explore, she had her energy and excitement back again. This is not the same depressed dog we had a week ago, I’m so glad the kennel move happened. If I could have walked her today for 2 hours, it would not have been enough for her, she was lapping up the walk, the smells, the cuddles.
I know it’s hard when you are depressed to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel, but perhaps a change of cave that you are settled in and a step out into the sunshine are steps you can make to getting better. It worked for me and it is working for Jackie.
Oh and I nearly forgot….. I’ve been wearing a pair of walking sandals from Aldi for my dog walking experiences. You step in so much muck that you don’t want a good pair of shoes and after each session, I put them in a bucket to wash. Well they keep breaking and I keep having to get them repaired. Aldi, only 5/10 for your sandals they just can’t take the pace!