Sadie The German Shepherd Wants To Go For A Proper Walk. In The Rain!

John is seriously fed up with all this rain we've been having lately. He blames it on the water companies imposing a hosepipe ban. Maybe he has a point. Two weeks ago the ban came into force, and for two weeks it has rained every day! Not constantly. He says he could cope with that. No what really annoys him is that it is warm and dry one minute, and torrential cold rain the next. He says he can't make any plans. Plans! John? Give me a break. He wouldn't know a plan if it came rolled in a tube, and hit him on the head.

I've got a plan for you John. Take me for a walk. You can make use of the waterproofs that extremely handsome son George gave you for your birthday. Three years ago! The ones you can't be bothered with, because they are too much trouble to put on. Here's a tip John. Put your boots on last!

The weather cannot make up its mind.

I'm serious here. I want a walk. A proper walk. Not that ten minute stroll along the railway embankment. So what if it might rain? I like the rain. For goodness sake, man up! Anyway you know you'll feel better for it.

He's been talking about walking the South Downs Way in the summer. Can you hear that noise? That's the sound of me laughing. It's 120 miles! He can't even be bothered to walk our usual two miles. 'Because it might rain, and we'll get wet'. Or, 'It's really muddy after all that rain.'

There is always some excuse. Before the rain, his main whinge was the pain in his big toe. Mind you I'm pleased he isn't going on about his painful big toe. It's so embarrassing. He doesn't seem to realise that every time he mentions his big toe, people have to stifle their laughter.

But just you wait. When the weather improves his painful toe will be an excuse again. Or he might use the bad knee excuse. That was a favourite a couple of years ago. Then there was his 'I feel dizzy' excuse last year. His worst ever excuse for not going for a walk was his, 'I might be coming down with flu. Best not risk going out today'.

That's another thing. He gets flu every year. The worst kind of course. Well let me tell you. He doesn't. What he gets is a slight head cold. Not even that to be honest. Maybe the odd sniffle. But that's John for you. If he gets a drip on the end of his nose, he'll tell you it's double pneumonia!

Personally I love the rain. For me there is nothing quite so exhilarating as running through long grass just after a rain shower. John can't run any more. So just to make sure he doesn't feel left out, I like to get really soaking wet, stand right beside him, and shake myself vigorously from head to tail. I can tell by his shouts of delight how much he enjoys that.

By the way, when I say John can't run any more, that doesn't include the time we were nearly home, and he discovered he'd left his change from a ten pound note in the shop. Oh my goodness, he could certainly run that day! His bad toe underwent a miraculous cure, when he thought he was going to lose some money.

Oh yes, I nearly forgot. Apparently I smell really awful when I get wet. Well let me tell you John. You smell really awful when you're dry. So do us all a great big favour. Get outside in the rain!

                                       Lots of love. Sadie. xxx