PETS
S
eptember is generally considered the first month of autumn, and, after hopes of a hot, dry summer have invariably been disappointed, and the children return to school, we often get some fine weather that eases us from one season into the next. ‘Them Indoors’ usually holiday then, so we’ll be hoping that this autumnal pattern prevails. This whole year has been, like our attitude to the weather, a mix of hopes and disappointments. There have been hopes around vaccinations and disappointments, earlier, about the delayed relaxing of restrictions. Well, my vaccination hopes extended to getting a biscuit as a compensation payment, which was fortunately fulfilled. Disappointments about restrictions is a longer list: unreasonable banning from the sofa and big bed, petty limiting of treats, strict definitions of what constitutes a dog toy, and most galling of all, being restrained from finally sorting out ol’ fluffy woofy, the Leonberger next door. Some wider hopes, however, have been fulfilled. Longed-for reunions
With September upon us, Teddy reflects on the hopes, holidays and disappointments of the year so far, and suggests canine level-headedness for living in the moment is something his human translator, Helen Stockton, and the rest of us should seek to do more often
with family and acquaintances have taken place. We had a wonderful, sunny, weekend in Norfolk, with some friends, in our respective motorhomes. They have a Border Terrier, Bonnie, so it wasn’t just the people who did socialising. I introduced Bear to Bonnie, as both a female role model and to provide a good opportunity for Bear to practice her canine social skills, remembering to curb her youthful excesses. We’ve also visited ‘Her Indoors’ parents and I showed Bear the delights of their garden pond. I don’t do water; what can I tell you, I’m a terrier and that word comes from the Latin ‘terra’ meaning ‘earth’, which is where my paws are firmly planted. I am, however, intrigued by their fish, particularly when they come shoaling to the surface at feeding time. I am naturally suspicious of anything that lurks out of plain sight, so I give the default terrier response and bark. I’ve tried to encourage Bear to behave likewise but so far, she’s been too busy doing that puppy squiggling and wagging nonsense, at the Seniors. A disappointing lack of focus but she is still young, I suppose…
My vaccination hopes extended to getting a biscuit as a compensation payment
One way to avoid disgruntlements is to live largely in the moment, something we dogs are good at. We don’t look forward to, or worry about, things months off, we just react to whatever is going on now. Without building hopes, our disappointments are naturally smaller; a walk delayed, a treat under the sofa or a broken toy perhaps. And if we can’t sort it ourselves, we have carefully trained staff to do it for us. This makes disappointments less, well… disappointing, and more a case of gratification delayed. I think we can all live with that, or at least I hope we can! l 156 SUSSEX LIVING | September 2021
