I had a bit of a day off today which I needed to forget about work, although I am still a podcast adrift for tomorrow. For a while I had managed to record a few in advance so that I wasn't pressured but that has gone to bollocks for the last few weeks. We decided to take Jack for a long walk to Highfields Park as Mandi likes to go there in autumn when the leaves are changing colour and Jack likes to feel grass under his feet and run through piles of fallen leaves.
This was the setting of our first day out with Jack when we adopted him three years ago. On that day he was impeccably behaved and didn't make a fuss around other dogs or even go barking and chasing after the ducks and geese. We let him off his lead and he walked with us and fetched his ball when we threw it for him, not entirely sure why dogs enjoy this activity so much but it is a joy to watch. Another thing we did was leave him outside the cafe while we went in for coffee, we could see him and he sat there like a good boy and waited for us to return. I don't like leaving him outside shops and the like these days as I am paranoid about him being stolen, he also doesn't like being approached by strangers and will bark when someone puts their hand near his face for a well meaning stroke. Back then we didn't know what we were letting ourselves in for and he was no doubt on his best behaviour to impress us as he wanted to spend the rest of his life with us. It baffles me to think that people just used to let their dogs out on their own to have a wander around, I remember as a kid occasionally seeing dogs walking about unaccompanied and dog shit was just a fact of life, something you used to avoid stepping in. I'm not even sure if this is legal nowadays, I certainly wouldn't dream of it with Jack as he is a tad unpredictable and has a tendency to leap around barking when passed by a motorbike or lorry (or van, or mobility scooter, anything really depending on his mood) so would end up injuring himself.
Having said that, as there were no dogs around I decided to let Jack off his lead and enjoy a bit of freedom.
Straight in the water, straight back on with his lead.
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