Just back from a shopping trip to an industrial estate at the back of Berwick; while Long Suffering was buying bits for the boat I took Bob the greyhound for a little walk up a hill away from the units - at the top near the railway was a field with some Shetlands, half asleep, and a man with a honey-coloured, rangy beast that looked like a hoond. Bob my greyhound spots his kin from a distance so we went to say "hello". What a dog we met! Long, strong legs, good broad front and deep chest, also biddable and very soft - a dog sold to the man by the travellers for "two hundred and fifty bar" he said. Magical to watch him running, he is called "Cookie" and although he is still too young to be bringing bunnies back he is sure to be a superb provider.
Cookie's parentage was not obvious, apart from lots of greyhound, but perhaps his almond eyes would be a give-away for a lurcher expert, funnily enough, the man looking after him had the same eyes, they do say that you pick a dog that looks like you.
Picking dogs; retired greyhounds such as Bob are not supposed to be used for rabbiting, not least because they are fragile (a bit like the balsa wood planes we used to make) and usually not smart enough to avoid barbed wire and other obstacles when focused, so I've always fancied owning a lurcher (or two), although I daresay Long Suffering would have something to say about this, perhaps "cough, cough, snort, snort" from his dog allergy...
The travellers who reared Cookie are hunkered down in a railway siding and keeping out of sight. I am still not sure where I stand on this whole thing - I wonder whether people ought to be given houses or land if their self-professed money-raising methods are, at best, borderline tax-legal and at worst proudly dodgy. What do you think Dr. Bob?
Next week I hope I can squeeze in a bitg of pesky pigeon purging at my friend P's down the coast; she has an infestation and I think netting might be the way to go, too near a wood with walkers for bang bangs. Thinking potted pigeon with some duck fat and some spices and things.
No comments:
Post a Comment