I Have Never Heard Of 'Walking Your Dog Month'

We in the UK are a nation of dog lovers and I am no exception. There is just one thing missing - a dog! When Ali and I got together, we had a dog called Alfie - an absolute gorgeous dog and an excitable sort to say the least.

But, my first dog was the reason I fell in love with them; Smut was his name and like a plug going into a socket, we were connected from the off. Smut was a mongrel who just loved people and I have great memories of what he was like.

Smut was with us from a puppy and as I grew older, the closer we became. I remember that as a kid, I had a tendency to wander off to explore places but without my mum's permission which often meant that she, my sister, or brother would often come looking for me. One day I did a particular excellent manoeuvre.

Our back garden wasn't the best kept compared to the neighbours but it was ours. It consisted of a lawn on one side, and a sort of wasteland on the other which we hoped would just sort itself out, without human intervention.

Free At Last From Church Road - Escape and Evade Of A Four-Year-Old

At the back of the garden, there was a hedge where me and our kid used to kick footballs at each other for fun but sometimes, the ball would go over the hedge into the garden at the back, so I knew that I could leave the house this way as I had had many a covert operation crawling into the other gardens undetected.

So, armed with nothing I left through the hedge and wandered off on my intrepid trip. I must have been about four. No awareness, no sense of direction, and no fear. In the seventies, it was easier then - we could roam free.

Mum was blissfully unaware of my disappearance until she asked the others where I was. I can only imagine her worry as she scurried out to find me. After about an hour or so of speaking to neighbours, looking around the surrounding fields, she decided to go a little further afield. She noticed a group of people gathered round and went to see what was happening. There she saw me, with Smut by my side, crying because I was lost.

As soon as she saw me, I think she went into relief mode but then total denial that the dog was ours! 'Is this your dog, love?' said one to which mum replied 'No!'; the dog dutifully followed us home wagging his tail.

Is The Dog Playing Out?

Now Smut was a sociable thing but he was also quite selfish. The kids around ours would come to knock and I would answer the door gleefully, expecting to play out only to be asked: "is the dog coming out?". I can understand this. You see, Smut had a tendency to join the kids on the witches hat by grabbing on with his jaws, as the kids push it around faster and faster - the dog would never let go!! One thing he was polite about was the big slide.

The queue would form and everyone would stand on one rung of the ladder up, waiting for their turn - including Smut, who had the same enjoyment as everyone else using the slide.

Being from the seventies, there wasn't much traffic on the road so we could pretty much run and play wherever we wanted to without fear of being hurt. So off I would go to play manhunt with my friends, with Smut in tow, and we would run away and hide. I never ever won that game.

He would stay with me at every step of the way which made it relatively easy for others to find me! That aside, playing Kerby we would stop every time a car came down the road. Our Smut wouldn't. This time he darted out from the house towards where we were playing as a car was driving down the road, the car went over him, he yelped, and came up the other side as 'happy as Larry and with no scratches on him. But even he got bored.

As I was playing hide and seek in the house with Jim and Lyn (my brother and sister), I found the perfect hiding place in the airing cupboard. Smut as usual joined in but somehow didn't find me. Neither did Jim or Lyn. Three hours of my life wasted there!

Dogs Are For Life And Not Just For Christmas - A Rescue Dog Tale

With such fond memories it was only a matter of time before I had my own place and a dog of my own. I first saw Rusty at Freshfield Animal Sanctuary in Formby, Merseyside. I knew I wanted him as he wasn't as 'desperate' as the other dogs. While the others came rushing with excitement towards where I was, shouting 'me!, me!, me!', he was a forlorn figure who just wasn't interested. His name was Rusty, a beautiful, cross between an Irish red Setter and a Border Collie; although I have no picture of him, below is what he was like:

I remember when I got him home and had the great idea that I would wash him outside and then dry him off. Not even a thought entered my head of how this would affect him, as he stood there shivering. What I didn't realise was that the water was cold - it was November after all! After everything he had been through, he'd come to a new home where I delivered cold water treatment to him!

When at the rescue centre I enquired about how Rusty ended up there. The guy told me that Rusty had been beaten and had become a very timid dog. This upset me. How do you reconnect with a dog that is afraid of humans?

All is not lost, however, the RSPCA suggest that it could take several months for rehabilitation to be successful. Another worrying thing is separation anxiety - there are approximately 8.5m dogs and half of the owners do not know about how this can affect their pet. Luckily, the RSPCA offer a plethora of information to help us understand what a dog's needs are.

One thing I have to question is where it states that dogs can see better than us in the dark - a little tale to 'dispel' this 'myth'. I came home from the pub one Sunday evening and admittedly, I was a little drunk, so I decided to take Rusty out for his walk. Now, Rusty had a wish to run towards you at speed and right at the last minute dart out of the way and miss you by millimetres.

If you can, imagine getting an electric shock on your bum which jolts your bum up and belly out, on your tip-toes, then you may have an idea of what I looked like when he did this. This time, it didn't happen.

I could hear him running around a fast as he could and somehow, I just knew he was headed my way. His gallop became louder and louder until 'BANG!!!!', he ploughed right into me and if you have ever witnessed a drunk man being struck at his knees, and practically spinning 180 degrees, you will have an idea of how it ended. I was on my back on the muddy floor, in a white pair of jeans groaning for help. Rusty.....was fine. Payback for the incident with the hose, perhaps?

Dog Lovers Do Exist And You Can Be One Of Them

Alfie has moved to Oxford now as we weren't allowed to keep him at the time we moved into rented accommodation. It was sad to see him go as he is such a beautiful dog who gives as much love he can to George, Ali's, and now Alfie's new 'dad'. One of my most memorable incidents with Alfie was when he escaped from the house and came looking for me as I had gone to the shops. Alfie navigated his way out and was found by a young man on a busy road.

Ali went looking for him and saw the man, who gave Alfie over to her. On my way back I noticed Alison in the distance carrying what seemed to be carpet. I thought 'what has she got now?' As you will have gathered, it was Alfie! His tail wagging furiously as I came closer and licking my face as I took him from Ali. A dog's love is unconditional.