10. The Dog who wanted to be Cat

       I am sorry to report that given a parole day last Saturday, Bella broke her parole terms and attempted to get in to the school playing fields once again. It was fortunate therefore, that the house arrest officers had been tipped off that she might try the escape again, through a distinct change in her behaviour. She had started sniffing at dinner plates even though she has never been fed scraps before, and worse, she started destroying her foam lined bed, and not displaying any visible signs of remorse.  The Saturday parole date had been set however, and with one officer in the school grounds and one in the garden (under cover as an industrious gardener), she was released as promised.

       Although the officer in the school playing field had taken a book with him expecting a bit of a wait, he didn’t get far before receiving the BBM from the officer on the inside that Bella was climbing the tree which having grown up with the original fence now didn’t know which side of the fence it was supposed to be!  As the officer in the garden watched with disbelief, standing almost directly behind her as she continued to scramble up the tree, and clinging to the strangling ivy, Bella reached the top of the 5ft 6in fence and was about to make the leap over. At this point both officers moved in and prevented the final transgression; Bella was marched back to the house where she lay on the conservatory floor while the officers discussed the next stage.

       The tree she clambered up is dead and probably has been for some time. It has already been cut but at a height of about 10ft. What made it easy to climb was the step formed by the tree forking about 12in (30cm) from the ground. From there using the ivy and other dense parasitic plant-life, it was easy to clamber up and on to the wire fence, but the descent is something left to our imagination, it couldn’t have been very elegant or graceful!

      Having hacked away a good pile of said parasitic plant-life, and dumping it in the newly acquired Brown Suffolk Council Garden Refuse Bin, it was a little clearer that the tree itself would need to be removed and the fence re-done. The higher ground against the fence caused by piling up garden waste week after week (previous owners), would also need to be dug out and levelled to the rest of the garden.

      The tree, as I said, was dead and would have been fairly easy to cut down with the right tools and if the fence wasn’t in the way! The sawing started, but as I went inside to fetch the axe, the doorbell rang – a Surprise Visitor saved the (hard work) day! And about half an hour later it rained. So once again, Bella has been confined to the house, going out for four or five wee walks a day!

     Maybe a little more progress can be made this Saturday!

7. Bella's Political Statement

“Whoof! Grrrr! Woof! Woof! Howwwwwl!”  (roughly translated: House Arrest results in Psychological Damage!)

        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!!)

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)