A Great Big Bouncing Dog

 

I was walking back home across the meadows by the river.

These meadows border the railway lines and there are houses which back on to them. It’s a place of bruised beauty. A sullied abused place.

I am accompanied partway by a companion who is walking her two dogs. One is a border collie, which runs freely; whilst the other is held firmly on the lead. This is a recued dog, which is usually muzzled on this walk as it had a tendency for aggression. Though through my friend’s great care it is now beginning to mellow. It’s a dog with a slight frame and fine bones. A sensitive creature that is learning to forget the mistreatment it suffered as a puppy.

However, it’s also a dog that’s gained a reputation for threatening other people and their dogs, and the man who walks towards us with his great big bounding dog eyes it warily.

“Is that the rescued dog?” he asks, whilst his dog begins to flirt with the circling border collie.

My friend laughs.

“This dog is known by many names.”

She lists a few. They are mostly two-parters, and mostly feature the word ‘Devil’.

Calmly the slight dog stands back as if these names belong to some other creature. It is well groomed and its short hair is  glossy black. It behaves perfectly.

Meanwhile, the love tryst between the border collie and the great big bounding dog is culminating with some more amorous attentions.

The man drags his dog off the collie, and then they continue on their way.

We walk in the opposite direction towards the town.

We have gone quite a distance when there is a sudden rush of darkness. It is the great big bounding dog. The collie is delighted and prances happily, and the two continue their romance.

My friend and I look back for its owner but there is no sign of him.

The great big bounding dog is now taking his love affair a step further, and the collie is quite happily accepting these amorous attentions.

But I know that the collie is getting on in years, and that my friend does not want her to have puppies. But my friend cannot intervene as she is holding the lead of the rescued dog, so I step forward.

I grab the chain around the neck of the great big bounding dog and drag him off. The collie yelps. I am now holding the big dog by his chained collar; my friend suggests that I should slip on the spare lead.

I do so.

There is still no sign of its owner; so I say I will walk this dog back in the direction that the man took.

Confidently I set off  back along the track: just this dog and I.

I look down at the dog and find it is staring up at me. It has great big brown eyes. I quickly look away. To be the top dog in this situation I know better than to enter a staring contest.

A little further along I spot the dog’s owner. He is a slight man dressed a little shabbily. I think there may have been silver earrings in his left ear and perhaps tattoos on his arms, but this is all conjectured now with the benefit of hindsight, for things suddenly started to move fast.

The dog pulls on the lead back in the direction of the collie, and I am dragged almost off my feet. I can’t hold this dog. I had no idea it had such strength and power. The man rushes forward. He releases the lead and the dog bounds off. I am bewildered as I realise that the man is actually intent on walking in the same direction as we were. He is obviously heading back home.

“What kind of dog is he?” I ask.

“A Rottweiler.”

I look at him in horror. The man seeing my expression then adds lazily, “They are not bad dogs. There are only bad owners.”

His dog is out of sight.

I’m speechless.

I walk back towards my friend who is still holding the lead of the rescued dog. The rescued dog is sitting patiently on the path waiting. The great big Rottweiler is again finding ways of entertaining the collie.

Eventually, the man takes his dog off her and walks away.

I am left in shock.

“I didn’t realise that was a Rottweiler,” I say.

“Didn’t you?” my friend replies. “I saw him looking at you as you walked him back. He was obviously trying to work you out. He must have decided you were all right.”

I feel so foolish for my D-  dog recognition skills.

Then I go over what I’ve just done:

I’d just dragged a copulating Rottweiler off his love interest… which must have annoyed him a little.

I’d then held this great big Rottweiler by his chained collar…which must have made him furious.

I’d then clipped a lead this great big Rottweiler and made him walk back along the track in the opposite direction to his home…which must have been so puzzling for him. No wonder he’d just stared at me.

I’d then just been dragged by a great big Rottweiler that had demonstrated that it had twice my strength and stamina… and I had for the first time experienced the power and packed energy of this creature.

So I’d been taking a strange dog for a walk…a great, big, strange Rottweiler for a walk.

 

That night I couldn’t sleep.

I kept replaying those rapid scenes and my over quick reactions.

I could still feel the animal’s strength, and I frightened myself as I imagined how this Rottweiler could have reacted differently at each and every stage.

I imagined its jaws and teeth.

And I felt ever so very grateful that after this encounter it was only my specs that were bent slightly out of shape.

I’d taken a great big strange Rottweiler for a walk…oh joy!

 

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