The Owner

Ollie and I were enjoying a brief respite from the relentless January rain and taking a much needed walk around the country park. Sticking to the gravel pathways helped us avoid the worst of the mud. Although splatter quickly soaked the undercarriage of Ollie’s PJs as he investigated the soggy verges for interesting scents.

As we approached the bend in the path, I spotted a familiar couple heading our way.

‘Hey Ollie, it’s your friend Archie,’ I told my doodle dog.

Archie was on lead and even at a distance did not appear his usual buoyant self. He is a brown and white cockapoo, the same age and size as Ollie, with the most beautiful mismatched eyes. One is blue, and the other is brown. This heterochromia, along with his incessant energy, gives him a slightly crazed look, as if he’s had one too many coffees.

‘Hi Tina.’ I called out to his owner. ‘How are you?’

‘I’ve just had the worst twenty minutes of my life,’ she answered. ‘He ran off. He’s never done it before. One minute he was there and the next I’d lost him.’

While Ollie is a pleasure to walk off-lead, and I’m more likely to misplace him by leaving him behind at an important sniff, he hasn’t always been so good. I could sympathise.

‘Sounds like Archie went full spaniel on you then? How frightening.’

‘Yes. And I didn’t even see what he was chasing. He tore off into the woods and disappeared. I didn’t know what to do. Someone suggested I go back to the car because he’d know where that was. But then I thought, what if he tries to come back to the place where he last saw me? I called and called until my throat was sore. Goodness, it’s made me feel terrible. I’m all shaky.’

I peered down at the bedraggled Archie, who avoided my gaze. ‘I reckon he gave himself a scare as well as you,’ I said.

‘Well, let’s hope so. I’m not sure my heart will cope with that happening again.’ She put a hand to her chest. ‘I’m not letting him off lead for a while, I can tell you.’

‘Thank goodness there are no roads nearby,’ I said. ‘I’ve got a tracker for Ollie, so when he did a runner shortly after we first adopted him, at least I knew he was close by. Even if I couldn’t spot him.’ I bent down to Ollie’s collar to show Tina what I was talking about and realised that the tracker cradle was empty. I’d forgotten to put it on him. How stupid was that! It’ll be the one time he isn’t wearing it he runs off after something. I made a mental note to check every time we leave the house in future.

‘I might have to investigate one of those,’ she said. ‘Anyway, I’m absolutely shattered. I need a cup of tea at the very least, possibly something stronger. You have a pleasant walk.’ Then to Archie she said: ‘Come on, naughty boy.’ She tugged on the lead and pulled her dog away.

‘Take it easy,’ I said, knowing it was daft advice but not finding anything more suitable. I called to Ollie, who trotted obligingly towards me, and we walked on.

The Dog

It was sniffing heaven at the country park. I can never work out why smells are super interesting after rain. You would think it would wash them away or at least dilute them. But maybe it cleans stuff up around them, so the important sniffs are easier to read. The hoomum is always on about contrast makes for interesting. And I get that. If I had to eat the same flavour of pate every day, I might get bored. Although not so much that I’d turn it down. Also, different is why I investigate other dog owner’s pockets and treat pouches when they walk by. It may only be kibble. But it’s not my kibble and variety is the spice of life, right?

Busy, nose-deep in a dense patch of grass, my hoomum’s voice interrupted me. I didn’t catch what she said, but after lifting my head to air my nostrils, I detected one of my pals up ahead. It was Archie, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to bump into him. I never know whether he is going to be up for a polite sniff and chat or if he is going to challenge me to a game of doodle chase. Which would be fun, but he always cheats. Archie ignores the rule against jumping onto a competitor’s back when he’s in one of those moods.

As he approached, I soon sensed that he would not give me any trouble today. Partly because he was on a lead, which was unusual. But also, because he appeared to be exhausted. His tail was down, his head hung heavy, and he refused to make eye contact. On his coat I could detect puddles, mud and undergrowth. He smelt of the chase.

‘Hey Pal,’ I said, heading straight for his butt to greet him.

‘Oh, hey Ollie,’ he replied, showing little interest in returning the compliment.

‘Where have you been?’ I asked, investigating the foliage hanging from his tail.

‘Pretty much everywhere,’ he replied. ‘An urge came over me a while back and it was like my brain turned itself off and my legs took over.’

‘Ah, you switched to spaniel mode, pal. Been there, done that. Do you know what caused it?’

‘No clue. Could have been a rabbit, I suppose. Or maybe a deer. My nose caught a scent, and I followed it. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. Like I was one with the undergrowth. Flying over ditches and tearing through the mud. Once I dismissed the hoomum’s hollering, all I could hear was my heartbeat and the wind whistling through my ears. No idea how long I was in the zone and when I came down, I couldn’t remember where I’d put her. I turned around and ran back in the opposite direction but got the wrong side of a fence. Tried digging my way under but ended up having to run along until I found a doodle-sized hole to push through.’

‘I know that bit,’ I said. ‘It’s the other side of the stream, right?’

‘Yes. And that was much harder to jump over the second time. I slipped and ended up chin-deep in mud.’

Well, that explained his beard and eyebrows.

‘So how did you find her in the end?’

‘I wound up on the path and ran as fast as I could in one direction, figuring that I’d bump into her, eventually. Which I did. Although if the silly woman had stayed put it might have been quicker. She wasn’t very pleased to see me, mind, which was strange considering how ecstatic I was to see her. I didn’t get a single treat for coming back. She even put my lead on me.’

‘That’s just rude, pal,’ I said.

‘I know, right? They do have their funny moods, don’t they? I guess I’m in the doghouse now, but once we’re home and I give her a cuddle, she’ll forgive me.’

‘Wait until she’s given you a bath first, pal,’ I advised.

‘Nah, the sooner we kiss and make up the better,’ he said, nodding at the wisdom of his own suggestion. ‘Then I can have a good snooze. Don’t know how purebred spaniels keep their energy so high for so long. I’m exhausted.’

‘I reckon it has something to do with their silky hair,’ I tell him, having had similar thoughts myself. ‘It’s the only thing they’ve got that we haven’t.’

‘Good point,’ he said. ‘Anyway, looks like we’re off. Smell you later, Ollie.’

Lacking any better advice, I told him to ‘Take it easy, pal,’ and wondered when his hoomum would permit him off his lead again. I reckoned I wouldn’t be refreshing him on the rules of doodle chase any time soon.