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January 06, 2009
paws for thought
Well, to continue the blog theme, I'm with Anna on the mountains; with Tess by the sea - but by myself in the dark park. Or am I?
Before setting out for my early morning run, I wondered if I would meet a dog this morning? But going early, and given the temperature, I reckoned it was too cold and dark for any dog walkers. I then found myself remembering, by way of nothing, how once our dalmatian Syd, - now dead - had jumped up at a walker, her paws on his shoulders. She was playing - not attacking. But I always remembered the remarkable calmness of the walker in the face of this unsettling occurrence. He was not to know she was harmless. Fortunately, nothing like that had ever happened to me.
With that memory in mind, I set off on my run, dear reader, and all was going smoothly if freezingly - until I reached the park. For there, in the frosty gloom, was a bouncy dog; and not just any bouncy dog - but a bouncy dalmatian dog! Oh my word! And then he was chasing me, and then, what's this?? His paws are up on my shoulders! No really, they are! His owner rushes to pull him off and then he jumps up again, and again.
The owner is a young woman who doesn't want to engage with me. I am, after all, probably a rapist. Who else would be out at this time in these conditions - and so ugly? But i do tell her not to worry; that in fact I had once had a lovely dalmatian, a long time ago, and do you know what?...
(This tearful remembering is becoming a little bit like the classic Christmas No.1, 'Two little boys had two little toys' by Rolf Harris. 'Can you feel Joe I'm all a tremble? Perhaps it's the battle's noise?..' etc etc
Anyway, I later told a friend of the strange coincidence of remembering and event. She said it was Syd responding to my thoughts of her - and coming back to say hello; waiting for me in the park to say that all was fine...
Posted by Mr Bojangles at January 6, 2009 01:26 PM