After Bella’s Houdini escapades and having to be kept under “House Arrest” as a precaution against a repeat escape into the school playing fields, she has taken very well to being taken for extra walks in lieu of not going into the garden. Unfortunately she has also taken an intense fear of going into the very same garden she played in previously. Whether she’s asking us not to put her in temptation’s way, not understanding that the tempting escape route has been blocked, or whether she has something else going on in her little doggy brain, we don’t know.
She goes outside – under false pretences, e.g. someone donning a jacket and picking up the lead – but then sits in the little raised garden bed, under the bushes directly opposite the back door and waits for us to let her in again. At which point, and yes I know this sounds illogical and contradictory, she won’t come inside and needs to be physically coaxed even though she’s shivering from cold! Rather frustrating for us non-doggy brained humans to understand.
A walk on the lead to the bottom of the garden produced a very slow look-around but not really going beyond half a metre of the human hand. Treats were of course accepted quite eagerly while the lead was disconnected, but once again she followed human very closely, and then sneakily overtook, back to the door.
Walking the dog is not an unpleasant occupation, it’s just that dog seems to have lost the joy of the home garden, which is very sad. (while reducing the number of Pooh-Patrols needed!!)
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| The good ol' days. |
We do hope that Bella recovers soon and conquers her fear (or whatever it is) of the garden – grass, mud, bush, trees and newly raised wire fence!
(Photos with thanks from Nutmeg Photography http://nutmegphotographyexplorations.blogspot.com/2011/12/bella.html?spref=fb)
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