Regular readers of my blog will have noticed that I suddenly went quiet. I was going to write the Postscript to my Hawkwind tour stories and then silence. Those of you who follow me on FaceBook will know why: my faithful dog, Eddy, was suddenly no more.
Eddy, an Akita/German Shepherd cross had been my sole companion for the last 2 and a half years and a companion to both me and my mother for a couple of years before that. I got him from an animal sanctuary who took him when the RSPCA who had had him for a year was going to have to put him down due to their rules. He had been with Ferne Animal Sanctuary for 14 months, their longest guest, because they were having difficulty finding a suitable home for him.
He had been found wandering the streets of Swansea in Wales and the Police, after a lot of trouble, had captured him. He was a dominant alpha male, top dog in the sanctuary, and could be aggressive to male humans whom he didn't trust, having obviously been badly treated.
I passed the test and managed to show I was capable of controlling this large dog and so he became mine. And there followed a difficult month while I made it clear that I was the alpha male in my house. He remained very aggressive towards other dogs and wary of certain people in the streets so I walked him out in the country as much as I could. But he did get into trouble with the police for biting a couple of people, one of whom admitted he was hitting him with a big stick at the time and one who was a member of a group who came suddenly through a gate and surrounded Eddy, frightening him.
We left for France before the court case came up and I gathered there was a warrant out for my arrest for not turning up.
We had a great 8 months living in my Winnebago camper van before moving into an apartment here in the South West of France in a small medieval town. We did have a bit more trouble but, as he got older, he got less aggressive and would accept most people willingly and even some dogs. However, this summer, what I took to be him getting old and not putting up with the heat well, turned out to be that he had inoperable prostrate cancer which was spreading through his urinary tract. When I discovered this, I had to have him put to sleep to stop him suffering any more.
That night was horrible and it was clear I was missing him terribly already. .Although he had some problems, with me he was adorable and a fantastic companion. Although I decided I would try living without a dog for a few months, the next day I checked out the local dog refuges and adverts on the internet for a suitable replacement but there was nothing really for me. Then, I called in at my butcher's to buy some meat for the next few days and told them about the death of Eddy and they asked me if I was looking for a dog. Next thing I knew, I was swapping phone numbers and email addresses with the cashier whose sister was looking for a home for her pure race German Shepherd.
And that evening I received a photo and fell in love.
My father had a series of pure German Shepherds and I had had a cross but I had always wanted a real German Shepherd, they were my dream dog. But they cost a lot!! My dad had paid 700 pounds for his last one! I couldn't afford that! So to be offered one and a young one, 13 months old, and trained and for free was a dream. The owner even drove down from where she lived, 4 and a half hours drive away, to see if we two could get on: I had him for a day's trial. Well, me and Leo, hit it off from the start both at home and out in the country where he needs to go to use up his energy. What a gift!! The lady was obviously sad to lose him but she couldn't keep him and I found out it was because she was going to have to go to court because Leo had been caught chasing sheep, some of them dying because he had chased them into a lake. And it was quite likely that, besides a large fine, she would be forbidden to have a dog for a few years, a typical punishment here.
So, now I have Leo. He is friendly to all, growls at other dogs who come too close but that's all, and needs a lot of exercise, probably 3 good walks a day. That's good for me and my health and I have a new companion. This afternoon, with my friend Alan who lives down the road, we're going to take Leo to a place he already loves here, a couple of miles south of the town and where a dam was built to divide the river in two and where Leo loves playing in the water, chasing sticks and soaking his owner when he comes out and has a good shake. and we'll be taking some photos and videos of the action for Facebook tomorrow.
I have read that retired people who live alone tend to live longer if they have a dog, several years longer. Well I think in my case, every little bit helps. The companionship, the exercise..........
So, quite an emotional week for me, hence no writing. But, I'm back and in the next few days the POSTSCRIPT of the TOURING WITH HAWKWIND series will become available, with some puzzles solved and some results presented.
So watch out for that.
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