World Peace And The Hound Of The Ramparts
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In our increasingly worrying world of the 21st Century people could do a lot worse than remember their neighbours and be there to help them when it is needed.
Arguably we are all neighbours really. We might live in America or Europe or we might have the misfortune to live in Ethiopia and have to survive on dirty water and rotting meat but, ultimately, we live on the same world which on a grand scale is not entirely dissimilar to living on the same street – it just takes longer to go and borrow a cup of sugar.
The Rampart personal perspective of this can be best described as ‘dog walking’.
My immediate neighbour, who thankfully doesn’t live in either America or Ethiopia or it would be one hell of a walk, was recently taken ill and, for the last month, has been unable to walk her dog. Even though she is a bit better now, that’s the neighbour not the dog, she still can’t give Lacey the exercise she needs. Enter Rampart.
Although ‘Lacey’ is not my dog she obeys my commands immediately and seems to have taken a considerable shine to me as I have to her. (In fact her owner has made me promise we will ‘take Lacey on’ should she not recover from her illness – NOT A PROBLEM! – even our cats like her)
Actually she doesn’t obey my commands as I don’t make any ‘commands’. I just say “Lacey, stay with me please” and she does. I say “Lacey, don’t cross the road yet please” and she doesn’t. She sits and looks at me until I say “Lacey cross” and she does. My neighbour gave me a ‘lead’ for Lacey but, frankly, I don’t seem to need it.
As I have ‘walked’ Lacey over the past month I have met many other dog owners and, without exception, they have chosen to start a conversation with me. Usually the conversation consists of mutual admiring comments about each others dogs but that isn’t the point.
Total strangers have become my friends purely because I have a dog – or rather I’m walking someone else’s dog.
Eastern Europeans, Asians, Orientals, African’s and, of course, occasionally, English. All have become my friends only because we have one thing in common. Our love of our dog – in my case my love of someone else’s but what the hell?
An extremely large and muscular Englishman with tattoos and various piercings – someone I would normally cross the street to avoid based on appearance – turned out to be a big softy who adored his dog and immediately adored Lacey. Lacey responded in kind thereby assuring me the large muscular chap was not actually the psycho I had presumed but a very gentle animal lover.
A Muslim chap wearing a dress – I know, it’s not a ‘dress’ it’s just a style of clothing but this IS me remember – who I wouldn’t even have acknowledged due to his, in my view, ‘strange appearance’ has become a regular ‘chat pal’ of mine as we discuss the best make of ‘doggie treats’.
Today I took Lacey on her walk and ended up in a huddle with five other people ‘talking dog’. We chatted and laughed and chatted again and laughed again. It was a pure joy.
The huddle consisted of the following.
Me, of course, a mildly unbalanced old fart, an African Muslim chap (not in a dress), an Asian Hindu chap, an Irish lady and a young English chap with a ‘BNP’ badge on his jacket. I assume the other ‘huddlers’ didn’t spot this as the BNP is a far right racist political party in Britain.
The young English ‘BNP’ chap actually hugged the Hindu as we all parted saying ‘See you tomorrow maybe”.
All because we had a dog each – or two in the case of the Irish lady.
That’s it! I’ve sorted it! World peace! Get a dog! NOW! Go walk your dog – or borrow your neighbours a la Rampart if you like but it really works! A BNP racist hugging an Asian Hindu???
Only a love of dogs could achieve that! A mutual love of dogs made a young racist hug an immigrant. What more can you say?
World peace courtesy of our canine friends. Well, ok, maybe Korea might need a bit more work if dogs are involved but hey ho! It’s a bloody good start right here in England methinks!
My apologies if MMA used my pics of Lacey – could I get her to sit still long enough for a decent pic? Nope. I tried ‘doggie treats’ but she just went crazy. “You’re spoiling her” said the wifey.
Actually I heard the wifey on the telephone to our daughter tonight. “Lacey adores daddy” she said. She does as well. I am so so proud of that.
Dogs know so I can’t be all bad eh?
Lacey was found as a stray on the streets of Glasgow in Scotland. Slightly bizarrely she ended up at The Dogs Trust charity in Harefield not far from us. Our neighbour, Grace, adopted her. At the time she was called ‘Gracie’. “I can’t have a dog with my name!” said Grace hence she became ‘Lacey’. Grace said tonight “I don’t mind Norman, really I don’t”. “Mind what?” I asked genuinely puzzled. “She’s mine officially at least” said Grace with a smile.
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You may be on to something Norman. People who love their dogs will often stop and talk “dogs”. If you can find a dog park where the dogs play with one another off leash the owners stand around like proud parents and talk about their dogs.
I don’t go to dog parks anymore since I read an article about how dogs can pick up so many infections, worms, and etc. However, when I went Bill you are right. We would all stand around talking dog. It was nice actually.
We don’t have ‘dog parks’ over here. I take Lacey onto the ‘Common’ which is a massive area of grassland and let her go. She runs around like crazy but always looks back to see I’m there. Most dogs being walked on ‘the Common’ are ‘off leash’.
Actually only dogs that have a temperament problem are kept ‘on leash’ on the Common.
Even in the streets Lacey isn’t on a leash. Only if we come to particularly busy roads do I use the leash. She never pulls so I know I don’t need it but I use it anyway…better safe than sorry eh?
As for catching anything why worry? It’s unlikely but you can’t wrap em up in cotton wool can you? Besides…I know a good Vet
Whatever happened to Baskerville?
He’s next door but one…I don’t walk his dog 😉
Yeah. I heard he has a “hound” as well 🙂
Good advice Jess, and Norman, I know you’re an animal lover so replace “generally” with “always” and I will feel much better 🙂 🙂 If something happens to her you know we will be relentless here at MMA 🙂
Just walked her….consider it “always” 🙂
🙂 🙂 Good for you man!
See, being all naggy American friend does work. I know it used to work on me when my mother did it so I am just passing it on 🙂
You need to keep that dog on her lead ( guessing that is a leash or harness) so she doesn’t dart out into the street by accident and something happens to her. That’s all fine and good being off harness in like a dog park or somewhere enclosed, not on the street. This is your naggy American friend doing the naggy thing so nothing happens to Lacey in your care.
Good advice Jess. I generally put her lead on to cross Botwell Common Road which can be busy just in case she sees another animal and takes off – although I doubt she would – but it’d break my heart if anything ever happened to her so don’t worry. I might struggle to take care of myself sometimes but Lacey is well safe with me! 🙂
I always have mine on the “lead” when I take them out. It is just safer for them.