So let’s catch up on Bella’s latest experiences
and escapes!
1. The Wild
Life
It was the 7am, misty morning walk. Bella was just glad to
be out, it wasn’t raining and she was romping around like a Springbok in
long grass, weeds and an open field – at the end of the flexi-lead of course.
Daddy was enjoying watching her enjoying the joys of being a puppy – OK so
maybe a teenager now she’s 2½ years old. But he gradually became aware that
the lead in his hand was fairly slack and Bella was still wandering slowly away
from him. And then the 5m of nylon, with clip still attached finally snapped
back to the big red handle in his hand! It was about the time Bella also realised that
there was no pull on her neck and that she was in fact, free! But being well trained,
of course, she looked back at Daddy and comforted in his jacketed silhouette,
she continued grazing – yep, she grazes, just like the one in
this video!!
As she raised her head to appreciate the rising sun, the
hills dipping down to Pin Mill harbour, the moored yachts bobbing on the river
and the wide open spaces, a muntjac deer (
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/species/muntjac-deer
) thought it was safe to dart across the field.
BIG MISTAKE!
Bella’s hunting instinct immediately kicked in and
she was off – no restrictive nylon to rein her in! Despite Bella’s speed and the fact that the Muntjac is known
as a ‘pest’ in our part of the country, the little creature managed to dart
away and escape Bella’s best efforts to be the farmer’s friend.
However, by this time Bella had criss-crossed a number of
fields, barged through nettle hedges (with Daddy trying to follow but taking the long road around),
and eventually, amazingly, returned to the man with the lead, although ran a few
metres past and sat waiting for him to catch up and quietly re-attach the lead
for the walk home!
2. Trespassers
Will Be ….
Bella’s trespassing into the School playing field and the
next door neighbour’s garden has already been
documented (Rise & Fall of Bella Houdini), and Bella will
always be under supervision when put in a situation that may give way to those
temptations again. However, beware any creature – especially a
cat – who trespasses into ‘Her’ garden!
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It was a lovely late summer day.
I was happy to have Bella out in the garden while I snipped at trailing
wisteria and deadheaded various sad looking flowers. She lay down in the sun
and appeared to be enjoying the pure delight of a beautiful summer’s day. But
when a little black & white kitty decided to try and make a run for it
across the lawn, it obviously hadn't read the memo about Bella’s capabilities or instincts. Bella was up and plunging through the
unkempt corner of the garden after said Kitty in less than the blink of an eye. There was snapping of
twigs, a noisy disturbance of leaves and paws and some hissing and meowing –
but no barking – and of course me calling Bella to come back, which of course
she was not going to do.
I went as far as I could under low branches and bushes and
eventually grabbed Bella’s collar and dragged her very unceremonially across
the garden and back inside. While she pouted, considered her fate, and
licked her wounds – yes the cat gave her a good couple of left hooks, but
nothing serious, just minor scratches – I went back to search both our garden
and the neighbour’s garden for an injured, or worse, kitty. Fortunately, there
was no kitty to be found, so we hope it escaped with simply another life
crossed off its score sheet. But for Bella her parole has been cancelled and
she is not allowed in the garden with me, not even when I hang up the washing. I
don’t want to be knocking on my neighbour’s doors asking whose cat I have wrapped up in a
blanket!
3. Knowing the hand …..
I promise, we do feed our dog!
We do give her treats! And sometimes I even let her lick the gravy or
leftovers off a plate or pot! Despite these loving gestures, she has quickly
latched on to the fact that Uncle
Mike always has a biscuit in his pocket for
her – and on nearly every walk she makes a bee-line for his flat, especially if his patio door is
open! And she also knows that Aunty Sandra always has treats in her bag when she
visits!
Being the obedient indoor dog she is, she will come away from the beg when called – reluctantly of course,
and she’ll even lie down when commanded – in slow, slow motion, all of which
endear her to the visitors' hearts and she still gets just a teeny bit spoilt!
All that stuff about Shiba Inus being reserved and not friendly? There’s always exceptions to the rule!!!
So that's a catch up on what's been happening in Bella's life. Of course there's the silent experiences we'll never know about, like the holiday at
Copdock Kennels for the weekend we spent with Megs, or what she really does when she sees those cheeky cats, through the window, lounging in Her Garden! The cheek of it!
(A pretty good description of Shibas:
http://shibashake.com/dog/shiba-inu-personality-good-bad-traits )
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