Regular readers of this blog will know that last month saw the first Hyde Park Doodle meet in eighteen months.
It was such a joyous occasion, a time to catch up with friends and reflect on the extraordinary time we’ve all endured. It wasn’t just the humans who caught up on their news, the doodles also had lots to tell each other.
While doodles large and small dashed around, DeDe and George took time out to tell each other what they’d been doing. Here’s a little snippet of what we overheard.
DeDe: Georgie!!!! How lovely to see you
George: Oh DeDe it’s been such a long time since we played in the park.
DeDe: I know, so much has happened since we were last together. My humans have been home all the time and oh, how I’ve enjoyed the long lie-ins and the lazy days at home.
George: I did too DeDe – Darcy and I watched so many boxed sets and had loads of snuggles on the sofa with Mum.
DeDe: It was so lovely, but I couldn’t understand why the humans were always so anxious, what could be better than spending more time with us? My Daddies became tense every time that blond haired human (in urgent need of a groom) started talking on the tele.
George: I could smell fear in the air every time we went out too. But I couldn’t work out what everyone was so afraid of. We still had our homes, plenty of food and warm comfy beds.
DeDe: I know I couldn’t understand it either, and myDaddies ate so much too. Their tummies got big and lumpy.
George: When I was a baby I remember mother telling me always to count my blessings, I think humans need to remember to count their blessings too and not worry so much.
DeDe: I’m not sure Dante is that good at counting his blessings, in fact I’m not sure he’s very good at counting. You see he’s not like us, he’s never been unloved. It’s only dogs like us Georgie who know how to count our blessings. It was hard when you were a street dog and I was in the puppy farm.
George: I might not always remember where I’ve been but I always remember how it made me feel. I know what it’s like to be starving for food and even now I hate big trucks rumbling by.
DeDe: I lived in a world without love. Living in that dirty barn without daylight made me sad, but making me have so many babies was worse. I never knew what happened to them, I often wonder where they are now.
George: I’m pleased Darcy and Dante will never know such pain, our lives are so much better with them……. Now let’s have no more talk of sadness, remember it’s our first doodle meet in a long while…… Chase you to that human with the big bag of treats.
May’s comment: James Glover is an ongoing contributor to our blog. As part of our week-long series of blogs about rescues and Remember Me Thursday (23 September), which is a rescue awareness day – we ask ourselves as pet lovers, are we doing enough for animal charities.
Is your social media packed with photos of glamorous pooches and sweet puppies? I love scrolling through the images, clicking the ‘like’ button on all of them. I’m also an avid reader of horoscopes, my recent daily feeds say those born in Libra should focus on taking stock of their lives.
I’m unsure which planet is influencing the shift but it’s certainly working. In true Marie Kondo style I’m questioning my routine with ‘do I love this?’ The biggest area under scrutiny is how I use social media.
I’ve noticed how much I dwell on the cute doggie photos and how quickly I flick passed the images of dogs needing help. Perhaps I’m a selective dog lover turning a blind eye to those who really need help and only validating the beautiful.
I’m sure some psychologist somewhere once said, ‘the difficulty is always admitting the problem, the easier part is working on the solution’. In an attempt to reform I’m consciously following dog rescue charities on Instagram. These organisations highlight the underbelly of the doggie world. From the inhumane conditions of puppy farming to dogs being sold to unprepared owners, without a question asked about their lifestyle or home circumstances. In turn the new owners don’t think it’s unusual to collect a puppy from a car park or hand over thousands of pounds in ‘cash only’ sales.
As lockdown eases and life returns to a new normal, many new dog owners are discovering their once cute pups have become feisty adolescents that no longer fit into their lives. This is where the rescue charities pick up the pieces, welcoming the innocent pups for rehoming, soon to realise many arrive with behavioural issues.
Charities spend so much energy chasing their financial tails (excuse the pun) before they help a single dog, and this is where I think we can really make a difference. Many of us are members of doggie walking groups, such as Hyde Park Doodle Friends and the sister group Camber Sands Doodle Friends. Between us we have over 1000 friends signed up to our Facebook pages, just think what we could achieve together?
Perhaps the planetary ‘taking stocking’ process is encouraging me to do more than change my social media habits? When I re-read the latest Camberdoodle story I do wonder what’s bubbling away in the depths of my creativity, how did those doodles get in on the fundraising act before we did?
You can read the latest Camberdoodle story by clicking here.
