Sunday 20th February 2011

I’ve been duped. There was a snowdrop out in the garden and I said to my Mistress “See, I told you it was nearly spring.” Then it snowed yesterday and the snowdrop got buried. There was me, all excited about the better weather. Starting to think all the joyous thoughts that go through a dogs mind when spring is in the air, even a dog who can’t do much about it has those thoughts! Then where am I? Back in the grip of winter and reminded that this being England it could be like this for at least another month or so. I feel cheated.

I feel slightly less cheated by the fact that the girls have been booked on a new dog training course and I don’t have to go. To be honest I’m relieved about that one. There is only so much good behaviour that any dog can be expected to undertake. In Megan’s case this will be in addition to Monday night and with Shadow we are discussing with her whether it needs to be additional or instead of. She thinks instead, but my Mistress is not so sure. I am trying to keep out of it in case anyone spots that I have not been enrolled.

What the snow means is that Megan is now having a little more difficulty in learning to play fetch. It is more a scenting game with fetch for afters. First she has to find the stick in the snow, then she has to bring it back. It adds a degree of difficulty that I am not entirely sure she has grasped yet. I was more of the mind to sit in front of the log fire for the day and put my feet up and all would have been well if my Mistress hadn’t had a list of jobs for me to do. At times being a constant companion and best friend can be a real bind. Sometimes you just want to say, “I’m doing my own thing today.”