Minty obviously thought that Grotty Groom was back in action. He's used to waiting at home in the mornings when Grotty goes off to do the horses. He always goes and lies on his bed and waits for his treats before Grotty sets off. He did that this morning. Still in a sulk. The sulk soon ended when he realised that Furry Mama had picked his collar up. Suddenly he's scoffing his breakfast that he'd previously ignored. Jumping up and down on the spot. Howling like a banshee. Inner puppy revived once more. It's difficult for Baggy at the moment when seven-stone of German Shepherd bounces on to her, too many bits of Baggy hurt. So as Furry Mama hadn't even got her boots on, she shooed the barking, spinning, whining, over-excited, nearly nine year old "puppy" out of the front door, while she got ready. The barking got louder. Oh, well done Clever Bird. Shut the dog out with the Postman (who's absolutely terrified of him) why don't you? Well done. Well done indeed. "Sorry".
Minty Mutt on lead with Baggy using her left hand to hold it, Furry Mama set off. The winds were gale force. Baggy was dreaming of her sofa. Freda Fretter was worrying about branches falling on Baggy and Mint. Mint was just happy sniffing and towing Baggy along. Furry Mama decided to take Minty for a decent walk to the local "dormouse sanctuary", a large pretty, fenced off area full of (completely invisible) dormice. We found a lost tennis ball. Minty chased it once, then carried it for the next half-a-mile. Once we reached the stream just back outside the sanctuary, he leapt into the muddiest part of it. Freda thought he was going to get stuck and was just wondering how Baggy was going to get in to get him out, when he moved. He dropped his ball. He lay down in the stream. Then he realised his ball had floated away. He scrabbled up the slippery, pure mud bank, toddled along beside the stream and leant down to get the ball. Not quite brave enough to go in properly. He managed to grab it. Just. Then somehow, he backed back up the steep muddy bank. Furry Mama suddenly remembered to get Baggy to breathe, before Freda fainted. Okay. Carry on the walk.
We followed a track up beside the sanctuary, with Mint sniffing and licking and trotting, yes trotting along. He wanted to re-enter the sanctuary through a different gate. Okay. Sniff. Lick. Sniff. Sniff. Scamper, scamper, run, nose to the ground. Ball completely forgotten and left behind after a lick. Then off he scampered. Furry Mama was impressed. Clever Bird watched him shoot left and right, nose to the ground. "Ah, Minty what are you following, a deer track, a fox track?" Baggy suddenly saw a couple up ahead with a spaniel. "Oh s**t!". "Mint here". "Really, you must be kidding Mum. There's a friend to be made." Mint shot off (well as quickly as an old German Shepherd can shoot) to the couple and the dog. Totally ignoring Furry Mama. "Sorry. He is very friendly. I can't run at the moment. Mint leave it!! Now!!". "No chance Mum. Have you smelt her?". "Urrm, is your dog in season?", "Yes. We just realised". "Well, I doubt he knows what to do but Mint is entire!". Man grabs Mint's collar. Good plan. Baggy finally gets to them. "So sorry." Furry Mama skulks off. "Seriously Minty that was naughty", "Well what did you think I was tracking Mum?". Oh yes. Well done again Clever Bird! It's a fenced off sanctuary so that foxes, deer, badgers, rabbits etc can't get in. Stupid woman. Well no harm done fortunately. And breathe.
By the time Furry Mama had waited long enough for Mint to calm down, Baggy's heart to stop boom, boomedy, boomedy, booming and the spaniel to be out of sight, if not out of smell, the wind had whipped up even more. Unfortunately in some ways, the spaniel had taken a different route, so now Furry Mama had to get Baggy to drag Mint, rather than her being dragged. At least the strong wind was behind them, blowing them along............
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