Liquorice, who has her eighth (monthly) birthday tomorrow, and I set out on our morning walk and were surprised to find a nice box of chocolates resting on the gatepost. With it was a note from one of the neighbors thanking me for a recent good deed. Since it was dry it must been delivered after the dew had formed so they very thoughtfully chose not wake me and deliver it in person. I am a fellow who only likes to be awake for one half past six per day!
We wandered down the road to the corner at the bottom of the hill, turned left as per usual avoiding, with great reluctance on Liquorice’s part, a large puddle that remained after recent day’s showery rains. As we walked along on the soft clay at the side of the road I marveled at the size of the paw-prints that remained from our previous recent walks. As you would expect they were enormous with her huge paws spreading out on the soft clay and as they spread the clay is pushed even further outwards leaving remarkable impressions. They would certainly strike fear into any joggers or others that may not know of my little darling’s “shoe-size”!
A little further on we encountered Suzy, a three year old of mixed parentage with hints of Great Dane ancestry. Suzy usually has an overly friendly nature towards us however our first encounter, one evening a couple of months ago, did not start of with the promise of a pleasant time. Then Suzy charged along the driveway of her human’s home, barking, snarling and growling as she raced out through their front gate and up the road to where Liquorice and I were. We had been enjoying our peaceful evening stroll as we had done so often but that night Suzy was loose and full of “fight or flight” frenzy towards my little darling who was only about five months old at the time. For her part Liquorice just pranced like the playful pup she has always been, keen to meet this new “friend”. Liquorice had no idea what this threatening canine intended. However Suzy stopped abruptly a few yards from us, lowered her head, and stared in disbelief. I do not know whether she only just realized then that this black dog, bigger than herself, was just a “little puppy”. Or whether Suzy was confused by Liquorice’s lack of “normal” response to her challenge or perhaps Suzy questioned that if Liquorice is that size as a puppy, was it entirely wise to upset my little darling in case she remembers it in the future when she is fully grown! With some exceptions Suzy’s appears to be the standard initial reaction among the local canine populace to my little darling. But since that evening Suzy has been a playful nuisance, if she is loose and we go that way, just running circles around the two of us and mock charges to get Liquorice to play.
Today though Suzy trotted along on the other side of the road with the demeanor of having done something wrong and wanting to get home before she is found out. She barely acknowledged our presence. A little further on though we were accosted from behind by a little white “toilet brush” type dog dressed in a bright blue jumper. It charged out of some bushes barking savagely at us. I thought it belonged to the next house we were to come to as they have a similar noisy “toy” dog. But it just followed us barking as we went with Liquorice wanting to turn around and play. All hell broke loose next when three Rhodesian Ridgebacks and a French Bulldog from another property started barking as we approached. Then I remembered that they too own a “toilet brush” type dog like the annoying one trailing us. Normally the owners call their dogs back when they bark, but not today. And these Ridgebacks must have thought we were endangering their little mate, nuisance that it is. The oldest Ridgeback stood silent in the open gateway but its two brethren were growling and barking enough to wake the dead as they raced around their large front yard. All three charged out as we passed their gate, something they never do but at last their owners called them and with the “toilet brush” dressed in blue safely back home they quickly retreated. Liquorice seemed to delight in all the attention but it did nothing for my nerves. Now that the din of those dogs was no more the sound of another two, excited by the noise, could be heard. And sure enough along a bit further a yappy Jack Russell, my least favorite breed of dog, and a half-grown German Shepherd verbally attacked us. By then another German Shepherd on our side of the road started to bark at us as well. It fortunately was locked up. The German Shepherd puppy went home quickly but that Jack Russell paralleled us on the opposite side of the road barking in its annoying high pitched way and snarling, baring its teeth at us. Liquorice thought it an interesting if noisy diversion. After a time it stopped following us. Shortly though, we now had reached the limit of our walk and the time had come to return. First though, Liquorice sat down to my command of “Be seated” while I squatted down on my haunches alongside her and placed my arm around her back then slowly massaged her shoulder on the opposite side while steadily stroking the underside of her neck with my free hand. Liquorice leaned into me and I into her, whispering the occasional “sweet nothing” in her ear. Liquorice is becoming used to this pastime as she now just gazes at nearby birds or distant livestock in a disinterested way. We relaxed there for quite some time, allowing the neighborhood dogs to settle. The journey home was relatively quiet except for the Jack Russell that was waiting for our return. The Ridgebacks were safely locked away. And that “toilet brush” dog dressed in its bright blue jumper had hopefully been flushed away! After all, it started the commotion.
On returning home Liquorice had her usual drink from the hose at the front gate before the longish walk up the driveway to home. She refused to carry her collar and lead probably because I would not allow her to carry the box of chocolates, which was her choice. She did however pick up her “Action Ball” that she had been playing with in the front paddock before our walk and very proudly carried that instead.
It had not been an entirely peaceful Sunday morning in our small rural part of the world!
Arthur Witten
Liquorice – Those chocolates were MY birthday present!