Throughout all of the recent bad weather one chore that always has to be completed, is walking the dogs. It's a time each day I look forward to, to clear my head and enjoy the countryside. So during the downpours we have all been wearing our waterproofs, some of us a little more reluctantly than others!
Libby and Luna are both the proud owners of a coat or two, one for the great outdoors, normally only used in snow, and one with the grand title of an after excercise coat, worn when it's really cold or raining for when they get back into the car. A godsend for your car as they don’t shake all that water over the back seats and roof lining.
However, these heavy downpours are no joke when you are covered in fur, so the coats were loaded into the car, along with all the other dog walking items. Not sure how but the back seats seem to be completely full - dog coats (two each), my coats (three for choice depending on how bad the rain is when we arrive at the forest), towels (lots), leads (two), dog bag (containing water and bowl, poo bags, tennis ball and flinger, frisbee, spare lead, treats, and other treats), boots (two types again depending on the weather when we arrive), hat (only for me, a hat for them is going a bit too far) and of course because this is England, a jumper (it’s May and you never know).
Luna normally very excited when we go for a walk, sweet really it's as if it's the first time she has ever been out, whines and whinges all the way there. But uh oh, when we arrive and the coat comes out, you can just imagine the look on her face. She gets embarassed in front of the her friends, apart from Dudley (bearded collie) who always wears a brightly coloured coat or should I say cover of some kind or other. She really thinks she would be better off without her coat, if she runs really, really fast she will avoid most of the rain anyhow. That is until half way round, when she stops to take a breath and that cold wind bites, then she really thinks that a walk on the forest, in the rain, without a coat, was a stupid idea.
Libby, well shall we just say Libby is getting on in years (we tell her she is nine, but really she is twelve) and it's probably better that she is not soaked to the skin every day, accepts her coat, one thing that age has brought her is experience and vanity in her opinion, only makes her cold and miserable.
So having got appropriately dressed we set off; now not actually able to notice that’s its raining and windy with all our wet weather protection. That is, until we turn for home and the wind is blowing straight into our faces and the rain is pouring off the end of our noses, then we are glad to be back to the car, when out come the towels (lots), followed by the coats (after excercise, because now we are only damp but need to stay warm and dry off completely), dog bag (water bowl and treats, no not those treats the other treats) and of course because this is England, a jumper (because its May and you do know).
Samantha x
