Obi it’s winter lets rejoice!

Ok its still Autumn, but lets not cut hairs its getting cold and bloody dark outside its like midnight over the fields at 5pm by 6pm its spooky which I love of course :) Or better still Oberon cheer up mate its only wet paws, and not the end of the world, well for a rather hairy and scruffy Tibetan terrier who’s more used to snow than rain, it’s a major downer for him he hates the rain as much as a cat hates the rain, only his reason is justified his paws get so matted in water, and all sorts of muck and some sticky balled plant that disintegrates into the crevices of his paws and claws.

Parts of stinging nettles and bramble stick always seem to attract themselves to him like a magnet. Its almost a dragging match when we start on to the field, but once his paws are wet he gives up and just enjoys the walk, we are quite privileged the farmer is a really nice guy who has on occasion has given Obi a real rabbit usually dead from his morning shooting keeping as he calls it the crop wreckers numbers down but I have yet to meet a farmer that don’t take some kind of twisted joy in shooting another beats shooting himself or some other unfortunate dog walker, who he does have gripes about, he cant stand people who let there dogs run riot all over the fields shitting on his crops etc and on one instance two dogs attacked his Ducks and killed one for the sake of the kill, I remember him flying around in his massive 4x4 looking for the culprits with a massive shot gun on the back seat.

He pulled up this was the first time I have ever met the farmer I could see the anger in his face thinking maybe I done something wrong, but Obi being a little gentleman quietly walked beside me, the farmer looks at me and asks have I seen 2 large dogs with a woman? No I replied but I keep my eye open why? I ask trying to give a shit, oh they just ripped one of my ducks apart, that’s terrible how horrible for the poor bird.

I see, I have Obi on a extender lead, he try’s to smile and head back to the 4x4 and drives into the night, I never ever let Obi off the lead. Tibby’s are a notorious breed for walking off and not thinking that don’t make them dum or anything like that, its just that there flighty and are very easily distracted, and this is with them up to the age of 3 years old, Obi is only 2 years old and still has no road sense.

When he was a minor of 10 months he ran on to the road and where we stay is a village with one road that leads to Harlow, Chelmsford, Bishop Stortford and Sawbridgeworth and is very busy most of the time. I was putting out rubbish into the Recycle bin and the door blew open and Obi took the chance and dashed out the front door me and fox went after him, he was running in front of on coming traffic totally oblivious of the pending danger, lucky some drivers were obeying the speed limit of the village which is 30mph.

I was trying in vain to catch him but he was so agile and fast I could not catch him he ran across the road to a little boy who also tried to catch him but he was too fast, then he noticed Buster a large boxer dog who he plays with and ran across the road again in front of traffic, I was heading to a break down I was giving up that my little boy was going to die under the wheels of a car, van or truck.

In the end it was fox who got him, and dragged him back in the house, for the first time in my life I was near to tears, Obi turns to see me looking at him so upset, his mood changed he knows he did something naughty, I shouted at him so loud he cowered behind fix and tried to run away, fox calmed the situation down, I sat in the conservatory for ages trying to get my emotions under control and slow my heart rate down, before I would sit back in the front room obi was sitting watching me in the conservatory, he now started to cry cause I was keeping myself apart from him and I had my back to him, something that dogs in packs do when they are un happy with a dogs attitude, I have never kicked or scalded Obi but I will do things that another dog would do when un acceptable behaviour is not welcome.

Anyone who resorts to hitting a dog, don’t deserve one, you would not kick a child would you so what is it acceptable to kick a dog? Dog’s learn by example, with me if Obi doe’s something that is not nice, I turn my back on him and make some space between us, I give him no eye contact, or flank him or use one word commands like yes no stop fold or open arms depending on what’s going on. Well this is my second instalment of the walkers tail, its all about living with a demanding sometimes rude sometime lovable sometimes crazy Tibetan terrier called Oberon aka Obi.