So it’s another beautiful day. The birds are singing, there’s the distant buzz of farm machinery (or is it jetskis on the lough?) and the odd bit of mooing, but otherwise nothing to spoil my perfect, bright green and blue day. Bert and I wander up to the churchyard. Two people driving past me stop to say hello, in the place where I was once a stranger. I tie Bert (in the shade, natch) to the big iron gate and amble through the headstones to C’s lovely spot in the shade of the big tree. It really is a stunning churchyard; high on the hill, it overlooks the whole village and a big patchwork quilt of farmland beyond.
As I walk back, I hear a car engine running and notice that there’s a man bending down by Bert, ruffling his ears and just about to look at the tag on his collar. I think I make him jump, but he smiles up at me: ‘oh good. I was just seeing if the big fella was okay’, and he gets in his car and drives away with a wave.
A good samaritan on a sunny day. Restores your faith in human nature, doesn’t it.
I guess you are not the UNKNOWN strange English family in the village anymore just the ’strange English family’
Comment by Taffy's Mum — May 8, 2008 @ 11:37 am
Comment by 73man — May 8, 2008 @ 11:42 am
I must admit I wondered the same as 73man, but then, would-be nickers don’t usually bother to read tags.
Comment by Jay — May 8, 2008 @ 12:27 pm
You’re renowned throughout Cavan as The Smiley Daft English Lady With The Big Feck Off Dog And The Pink Wellies.
Comment by Jennynib — May 8, 2008 @ 1:21 pm
73: No, honestly. He was worried that he’d been left tied up. Having said that…if he HAD have nicked him, he’d have soon given him back. If he values his shoes anyway.
Jay: It is, yes. We feel so at home here, and the people are so nice. And honestly, do you think people bother to nick greyhounds? Especially an enormous lanky one with bald blue skin and great chunks out of his fur! LOL! x
Jen: Sadly, ’tis true. Although now I’m sunburned to match my wellies, I’m probably just known as the Daft Pink English Lady with the Big Feck Off Dog and the Matching Wellies. Heh. x
Comment by englishmuminireland — May 8, 2008 @ 2:58 pm
I used to have a big dog called Murphy, no the sharpest tool in the box, but so lovable… I got a phone call one day, saying
“do you own a big balck dog called Murphy ?”
me : “yes”
“well, I have him in my car, on a small country lane, I’m a stranger, but he looked lost?”
“oh, thank you so much, where are you ?”
“well, I’m not sure, it’s a small country lane, with houses on one side…. I am sat outside a house called ‘Treetops’ ”
“oh” I say ” thats good, that MY house”
So the kind businessman, in his lovely shininy catr was kind ebnough to collect my hairy mutt from the end of my own driveway, Murphy happily sitting on his front seat, grinning at me as I walkied down the drive !!
The point is … how nice the guy was, in his suit, to stop, check Murph’s name, and to call me …….bet he is still cleaning out his car from dog hairy and dribble !!!!
Comment by Moon — May 8, 2008 @ 5:50 pm
EM -
“And honestly, do you think people bother to nick greyhounds? Especially an enormous lanky one with bald blue skin and great chunks out of his fur!”
Sadly, it’s not unknown over this side of the Irish Sea.
They’re greatly in demand by a certain section of the population for lamping and I’ve heard tales of people having their ‘longdogs’ taken off them by force, or by stealth. So much so, that in some areas the rescues advise you never to walk your dog alone or advertise a ‘greyhound walk’ on the internet.
And Bertie is beautiful!
Comment by Jay — May 8, 2008 @ 8:10 pm
Comment by Isitjustme? — May 8, 2008 @ 9:02 pm
Comment by june in florida — May 8, 2008 @ 9:51 pm
Comment by SUSAN B — May 9, 2008 @ 4:32 am
Comment by SleepyJane — May 9, 2008 @ 7:25 am
Jay: Well I think he’s beautiful!! But once they got him home, found that he’d stolen one of every pair of shoes they own and lovingly hidden it somewhere - they’d soon bring him back. God, the amount of times I hop around in one shoe cursing the arse off him!! Oh, and the fact that he has absolutely no recall and if he’s let off the lead he runs straight until he literally bumps into something might make lamping a little difficult hee hee. But I do get your point. I’m sure it happens. God, I’d be gutted *shivers* xxxx
Comment by englishmuminireland — May 9, 2008 @ 9:17 am
June: Me too! My favourite churchyard in the world contains the grave of Peter the Wild Boy. Fuelled our imaginations as kids, I can tell you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_the_Wild_Boy
Susan: NO! Tell us more…
Comment by englishmuminireland — May 9, 2008 @ 9:27 am
I’d be gutted too, EM, even if it were just that they were taken by someone who loved them for themselves… you’d never know, would you? How awful it would be. Our first greyhound was abandoned by travellers and ended up in Wood Green, thin, mangy and scarred. I lived in fear that they’d pass through this area, see what a nice dog he’d grown into and take him back.
There are still a lot of good people in the world, and I believe they do outnumber the bad, but sometimes it can be hard to remember. We should look for the good more, I think.
Comment by Jay — May 9, 2008 @ 10:24 am
Comment by Moon — May 9, 2008 @ 5:39 pm
Comment by englishmuminireland — May 9, 2008 @ 9:53 pm