Time for.....

..... another rant about dog walkers..... well walking the dog is huge part of my life

So after countless days of soggy dog walks, today I thought I'd head up a little country lane, which is a no through road, with cattle grids and lambs running around... its roughly 3 miles to the top and back, so a bit shorter than our normal walks, but I thought at least I'd not get home with mud up to my knees....

Anyway, on cue, as I left the house it started raining.. we toddled off to the lane and Tia ate sheep poo and tried to pick up cast off lamb tails, the lambs ran around calling for their mums, it was all relatively peaceful and my feet were dry... then a big 4x4 heads down the lane, I walked into the field to let him pass but he parked up by the cattle grid and just sat there.... so I figured it was a courteous dog walker waiting for me to pass before he got his dogs out.  I went passed and two dogs were barking in the back, so I thought since I wasn't far from the top of the lane where I was going to turn round and come back, I'd head across the footpath over the fields, so that Tia an his dogs wouldn't need to glare at each other (okay so it would probably just be Tia doing the glaring and moaning!)

The field wasn't too muddy to start with which was a bonus, when I got half way across I turned round and saw him let his dogs out the car.... approximately two minutes later, I saw him letting his dogs back in the car..... by any stretch of the imagination I can't see how this counts as a dog walk!!!!  Its basically just letting your dogs out in the garden, which he could have done at home!

I imagine him leaving his house in the morning, saying to his wife, I'm just taking the dogs for a walk completely convinced that, that is what he was doing... so what could his excuses be for this very poor dog walking example:

a) He has to be at work... so get up earlier, do you think you have fulfilled your dog owning duties, by literally showing the dogs a field for a couple of minutes and then heading home?  Look dog's this is what you could've had if I could be arsed!

b) It was raining..... contrary to popular opinion dogs do not hate going out in the rain... yes I am sure some dogs look out the door and think eiuw its that wet stuff again, they may even appear slightly reluctant to get their feet wet.... this is where you, as their pack leader take them out in it anyway.... even the most reluctant dog will be having fun in 5 minutes, they're dogs, they don't care if their hair goes, flat/curly/frizzy * (*delete as appropriate)

Does she look like she cares that she's a bit wet?????

So Mr Gas Guzzling 4 x 4 labrador owner, I think you are one step away from having one of those dogs that may as well not have legs.. you know the ones, usually they are dressed in pink & diamante and you don't walk them you carry them around in a handbag, because they're not a living, breathing animal that needs exercise, they're a fashion accessory.  

I suggest you walk your dogs to the fields (where we live all of the villages are surrounded by fields, there is no need to drive "out into the countryside"), then if you only let the dogs run around in the field for two minutes it doesn't matter, the dogs have had their walk and you saved the environment a tiny little bit... oh and was it really worth getting the car upholstery muddy for that brief two minutes of freedom that you allowed them???

Dog's don't ask for much, they love you for all of your faults, even when one of those faults deprives them from running around the fields doing what they love to do most... don't you owe it to them to love them in the way they need, not just when its convenient to you!

Filthy, Wet and Smug as hell!

Oh I forgot to say... the path across the fields turned into a muddy quagmire, I got home in my normal state, feet soaked, mud up to my knees... trousers wet up to mid thigh .... so much for a "clean" walk.. do we care, do we hell, it was fun :)