the wild bunch

Unexpected dog walking duties this morning.  Anniemay and Trish, our neighbour, are gardening again - trailing solar lights along the edges of the pallet fence they erected yesterday.  I'm planning a walk round the common while all this is going on and Trish asks if I would mind a bit of dog walking at the same time.  Not a problem - I'm a dog person, always have been since childhood (see extra).  

I've walked her dog, Bertie, before - he's an absolute joy.  But she's also looking after her daughter's dog, Bonnie, who is completely the opposite.  Don't be fooled by the cute expression in the second extra.  This is a noisy, disobedient tearaway.  

She's fine off the lead as it happens - just a pain when on it.  We meet a few other dogs and their owners and exchange pleasantries.  Everyone remarks on how cute they look - especially Bonnie.  Don't be fooled, I think to myself.

We're out for about an hour and I've really enjoyed it.  All of the fun and none of the responsibility.  Other than delivering two dogs back home at the end, of course.  I don't have to clean off all the horse muck that Bonnie rolled in or wash the dirty legs from the stream.  

I hand over the doggy-treats bag to Trish and with it goes my powers.  The dogs notice - suddenly I'm a nobody again.