![\"George](\"http:\/\/www.garniesdogblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/George1.jpg\" "\\"George[1]\\"")
<\/a>George in his study<\/p><\/div>I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really remember my earliest days \u00e2\u20ac\u201c what I can remember was being HAPPY.\u00c2\u00a0 There were always people, \u00c2\u00a0laps to sit on, cuddles, \u00c2\u00a0lots of play, \u00c2\u00a0sticks to chase and\u00c2\u00a0lots of \u00c2\u00a0new things to learn.<\/p>\n
One of my favourite things to do was running in the front garden, I could see what was going on and everyone loved me.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The neighbours would lean over the\u00c2\u00a0 fence to pat me and bring me little treats.<\/p>\n
One day a\u00c2\u00a0strange man\u00c2\u00a0came to the gate and called to me,\u00c2\u00a0 I ran across and before I knew what was happening he had reached down and grabbed me.\u00c2\u00a0 I struggled and struggled but couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get away.\u00c2\u00a0 I tried to bite \u00c2\u00a0but he just laughed and held me at arms length by the scruff of my neck I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even get enough breath to bark for help.<\/p>\n
I was held prisoner for weeks,\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0always hungry and cold and\u00c2\u00a0the stranger\u00c2\u00a0kept making me meet other dogs.\u00c2\u00a0 I wanted to be friends and play but they were all really mean and tried to bite me.\u00c2\u00a0 When I ran away the man\u00c2\u00a0kicked me\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0until I tried to bite back, then he\u00c2\u00a0 seemed happy,\u00c2\u00a0 shouting and cheering me on.\u00c2\u00a0 If I got a few good bites in he would pat me and give me more to eat.<\/p>\n
The longer I lived with the stranger the more scared I got.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know when I would be made to fight and was always having to look out for flying kicks.\u00c2\u00a0 I had nowhere to hide and was\u00c2\u00a0for ever cold and hungry.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00c2\u00a0 started to get quite clever and often managed to get a quick nip at the ankles of the stranger,\u00c2\u00a0 or one of his friends, \u00c2\u00a0and could even dodge the resulting swipe from his stick.<\/p>\n
Then one day while I was in the front of his van with one of his friends, wimpering\u00c2\u00a0from my last kicking,\u00c2\u00a0the friend turned to the stranger and told him to dump me,\u00c2\u00a0 saying\u00c2\u00a0 I would never be any good, \u00c2\u00a0he had heard of a dog with Pit Bull blood which would be much more suitable.\u00c2\u00a0 I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really understand what all this was about but the next thing I knew was that I had been bundled out of the car and into a garden not\u00c2\u00a0very different from the one I had left so many weeks ago.<\/p>\n
I tried to find a way out but couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t, \u00c2\u00a0then much later a face came to the window and looked at me.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Later again the door opened and a big plate of food appeared.\u00c2\u00a0 I went forward cautiously and ate and ate.\u00c2\u00a0 Much, much later two people came and one picked me up gently,\u00c2\u00a0 I growled a bit but resisted the temptation to bite.<\/p>\n
I\u00c2\u00a0 eventually learned that this person was called Scott.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 He took me home with him and I was warm and well fed for the first time in months, \u00c2\u00a0but sure that something bad was going to happen soon.\u00c2\u00a0 The next day I was given to someone called a Dog Warden who put me in a big cage and said I was to wait there until I was claimed.\u00c2\u00a0 I was pretty sure that the stranger would not want me but my family wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know where to look,\u00c2\u00a0 so what would happen to me?\u00c2\u00a0 I was very frightened, \u00c2\u00a0but at least I was fairly comfortable and had plenty to eat and drink.<\/p>\n
No-one claimed me for a week then a man and woman came and the man said he liked Jack Russells and would give me a home if I got on with their dog Arnie.<\/p>\n
This man soon became my Dad \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I went everywhere with him out in his tractor or van.\u00c2\u00a0 Wherever he went I went too, even if Arnie had to stay at home.\u00c2\u00a0 Dad and I got on instantly. I liked to sit on his lap, \u00c2\u00a0but if Arnie was there, or he had his dinner or computer in front of him I sat across his shoulders.<\/p>\n
My new home was OK, \u00c2\u00a0Arnie was quite friendly but I made sure\u00c2\u00a0 I could always get away from him just in case he got fierce \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let\u00c2\u00a0dad or mum\u00c2\u00a0put me in a basket or box I just slept on a big cushion.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 I couldn’t get over my fear that another stranger would take come and take me or dogs would attack me.\u00c2\u00a0 I let no-one near.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0If anyone came to the house I made sure they knew that I would kill them and woe-betide anyone who tried to put a hand over the fence to touch me.<\/p>\n
Happy days are here again<\/strong><\/p>\n I went everywhere with him, whether it was in the van or in the tractor.\u00c2\u00a0 We did lovely things together, driving round the countryside, delivering grass seed to places so deep in the countryside that I could run around free without any danger of meeting strangers, human or canine.\u00c2\u00a0 Alternatively we might spend whole days in the tractor doing things Dad referred to as topping, harrowing, ploughing and other strange names.<\/p>\n I loved being in the cab with Dad, just getting out for a run when he stopped for lunch, but Arnie always barked to get out as soon as we reached the fields so he could catch rabbits and things.\u00c2\u00a0 Sometimes he came back looking rather fat!\u00c2\u00a0 The tractor was very big and a long way down for a small chap like me, but if Dad stood near the door I could jump on to his shoulder or he would lift me down.<\/p>\n The days of summer were warm and seemed to last forever.\u00c2\u00a0 In the evening sometimes we would have barbeques which meant having people in, but I soon got to know them and they would often try to slip Arnie and me crisps and yummy bits of meat from the table without Mum seeing.\u00c2\u00a0 When it got dark and cold we would all go indoors and the fire would be lit so we could all be warm and cosy and everyone would be happy and not mind at all when Arnie and I crawled up on their laps to snuggle down dozing contentedly to the sound of their voices.<\/p>\n There was one bad thing that happened during this time.\u00c2\u00a0 We had gone to see some of Dad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s friends and they wanted to meet me.\u00c2\u00a0 Mum explained that they had two big dogs of their own, which they were just shutting away so I would be safe.\u00c2\u00a0 I leapt out of the car and ran towards where I could hear Dad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s great laugh coming from only to find that between him and me the way blocked by the two most ginormous dogs I had ever seen.\u00c2\u00a0 Of course I growled to warn them to keep away, but they though I was challenging them to a fight.\u00c2\u00a0 With a great barking war cry the bigger one picked me up by my neck and shook me like Arnie shakes rats \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know whether my back or neck would break first!\u00c2\u00a0 Then, just as I could bear it no longer, the shaking stopped \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 it took a few seconds to realize the reason for this was that the other dog had grabbed my other end and they were having a tug-of-war with me!\u00c2\u00a0 I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remember quite how it happened, but the next thing I knew, I was back down on the ground.\u00c2\u00a0 Mum tried to pick me up but I hurt too much, so I am ashamed to say that I growled to keep her away.\u00c2\u00a0 Slowly and painfully I dragged myself back to the car, but when I got there I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even haul myself in and had to let Mum help.\u00c2\u00a0 I ached all over and was very sore for some days which confirmed my belief that all other dogs were bad news and big ones were the worst of all.<\/p>\n But life goes on and soon I was back to the fun of that lovely summer \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the humans tell me it was wet and cold, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mind a bit of rain and I had the warmth and love of my new Dad and my new home was always there to go return to.\u00c2\u00a0 I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand Arnie wanting freedom all the time \u00e2\u20ac\u201c why couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t he just appreciate what he had?\u00c2\u00a0 In fact the only recurrent fly in the ointment was that if Arnie didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come back at the end of the day it made Dad very cross, especially if he was tired.<\/p>\n Feeding the Horses<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the things we used to do every day was feed the horses.\u00c2\u00a0 Arnie said there used to be more, but in my time there were just two.\u00c2\u00a0 Mabey was a bit touchy and didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t much like me \u00e2\u20ac\u201c she had big teeth which she bared at me in a very unfriendly way if I got too near and if I got behind her she would try and kick out at me.\u00c2\u00a0 Still I used to chase her a bit \u00e2\u20ac\u201c just out of bravado – to show Arnie I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t scared of everything.\u00c2\u00a0 One day when I was doing this when it was very muddy she aimed a kick at me and slipped and fell.\u00c2\u00a0 That cracked me right up at first – until I realised Mum was pretty upset and then she <\/em>stopped me going near her any more \u00e2\u20ac\u0153in the interests of both of you\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she muttered darkly – but I think she loved the horses more than us dogs.\u00c2\u00a0 I said as much to Arnie but he just laughed and said \u00e2\u20ac\u0153how could she prefer those great hulks to us \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you never see one of them sitting on her lap do you?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n Cobby was a different matter, he was Dad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s horse – something they called a Shire – and even bigger than Mabey, but he was kindly.\u00c2\u00a0 I used to share his food with him sometimes, though it was a bit scary if that enormous head came down too near mine.\u00c2\u00a0 Once or twice I offered him a stick to play with, but he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem to understand that he was supposed to chase me to try and get it.\u00c2\u00a0 Once I even offered to share a huge bone with him, but for some reason he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t interested.\u00c2\u00a0 He just put his head down and kept eating some stuff that looks a bit like Dad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s breakfast, only Cobby has it by the bucket full.\u00c2\u00a0 I nibbled a few bits just to show him I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hold any ill will towards him, but I certainly wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pass a bone to get at it.\u00c2\u00a0 Still, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s none so strange as horses!<\/p>\n Sometimes we went with Dad other times we went with Mum, but we always had a good time as there was loads of space and we could have a good run, hunt for rabbits, dig for moles and even snack on the odd mouse.\u00c2\u00a0 Arnie taught me many of these skills and it was all so exciting that I would bounce and bark and just couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t creep up to things quietly and patiently like he showed me.\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the best hunter I have ever met and I know he thinks I am the worst.\u00c2\u00a0 Dad said I should be a ratter as that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what Jack Russell\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s are bred for, but I really think if I was actually confronted by one I would be scared \u00e2\u20ac\u201c better to give a few warning barks to give them time to get away before we see them.\u00c2\u00a0 Actually that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another good thing about barking around the molehills \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure I should be scared out of my wits if one came up just where I was digging.\u00c2\u00a0 Arnie says he caught one once but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s much bigger than me.<\/p>\n One of the times we went to the feed the horses after a stay at Linden Lodge we found that Mabey had gone.\u00c2\u00a0 I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really think about it at the time but much much later Cobby went too and Mum seemed so sad that, remembering my conversation with Arnie, I thought although they may not have sat in her lap like we do she did love them.\u00c2\u00a0 I was learning that Arnie isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always right.\u00c2\u00a0 When mum explained we wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be doing \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcfeeding the horses\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 any more I wondered about it \u00e2\u20ac\u201c do horses have a Great Stable in the sky to go to when they leave the earth, like we have our Great Kennel?\u00c2\u00a0 I have heard tell that they have a huge winged horse to look after them.\u00c2\u00a0 Perhaps he can be seen in the sky when it is dark like the Big Dog.<\/p>\n Still this is getting ahead of my self a bit because before we stopped going to see Cobby lots of other things happened.<\/p>\n Times of change<\/strong><\/p>\n For one thing Dad was at home a lot more and Mum was always there with us. I think this was because Dad was tired, but it was nice because I could sit on his lap or across his shoulders for most of every day.\u00c2\u00a0 Dad loved this \u00e2\u20ac\u201c whether it was just me on his lap, or Arnie on his lap and me on his shoulders \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he would dose off with a great big grin on his face.<\/p>\n One of the best things about sitting on Dad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoulders was that at meal times I could get a really good look at what he was eating and if it was good I could always persuade him to let me sample it especially if mother wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t looking \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in fact in those days we got lots of tit-bits! But little by little Dad stayed in bed for longer and longer.\u00c2\u00a0 Then on the last day I saw him I was allowed to sit on the bed with him, which had never happened before, but though he stroked me and smiled he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t talk to me and mother looked so sad I knew something was wrong.\u00c2\u00a0 Later Mum took us into the garden and I think some people must have come and taken him away because I never saw him again.<\/p>\n It took a long time, but finally, I understood he wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be coming back and then I knew why Mum had been so sad and I was sad too, so I tried to seek comfort from her. She talked to me about the Big Dog in the Sky and how she and Dad believed in a Great Master who had been there even before the Big Dog, Little Dog and Sirius; who looked after them and had set their stars in the sky.\u00c2\u00a0 That made me feel a bit better and now I like to think of Dad up there with the Big Dog and his Master.\u00c2\u00a0 He will sitting there in a huge rocking chair, comforting and cuddling dogs that have been badly treated \u00e2\u20ac\u201c like he used to do with me when I first went to live with him.\u00c2\u00a0 I know Mum likes to think of him like that with the Big Master too.<\/p>\n Well it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that I forgot about Dad, but I did so much need to be cuddled that I took to sitting on Mum\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lap every day instead – and soon I loved her just as much, although in a different way, because she is stricter.\u00c2\u00a0 There is always something she is trying to make me do differently or better, especially getting more used to other dogs and people.\u00c2\u00a0 This never seemed to matter when I was out with Dad in the van or tractor everyday, but now we go for long walks and meet all sorts of people and animals.<\/p>\n Even though I know Dad has gone away,\u00c2\u00a0when we are at home it somehow feels as if he is still there in some way, even though we can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see or hear him and I know that part of him is continuing to look after us all.<\/p>\n School<\/strong><\/p>\n Well from then on things changed a lot and life certainly became more interesting \u00e2\u20ac\u201c though not all good, at least not at first.\u00c2\u00a0 For one thing, I had to go to School like Arnie.\u00c2\u00a0 In the beginning when I went lessons at the Club I was absolutely terrified \u00e2\u20ac\u201c there were lots of extremely large dogs and some very noisy aggressive ones.\u00c2\u00a0 I panicked and all I could think to do was to keep yelping and growling at them in the hope I would frighten them away.\u00c2\u00a0 I used to shake from paws to tail with fear when I got in the car on Club nights and when we got there would curl up on Mums lap in the hope that I could we could just stay in the car.\u00c2\u00a0 The more I was made to go the more frightened I became.\u00c2\u00a0 My insides wobbled and sometimes I was so scared my legs wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work and Mum had to pick me up and carry me in.<\/p>\n Then I went to see someone called Jon; he took my lead and I just felt all the panic drain away. He explained to Mum that I behaved as I did because I was afraid and that I needed to be protected from making my own decisions.\u00c2\u00a0 He seemed to me to be so wise \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I am sure he was a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMage\u00e2\u20ac\u2122* like Mum had told me about in the Big Dog stories <\/em><\/p>\n Well Jon lived a long way away and it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t easy to get to see him, but as it happened I was soon to meet someone who I think is another \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMage\u00e2\u20ac\u2122* \u00e2\u20ac\u201c she also seems to really understand me and she has a lot of learning; I have heard her explaining all sorts of things to Mum.\u00c2\u00a0 Anyway after all the horrid snow had gone I started going to see Julia every week and I have begun to learn that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to panic.\u00c2\u00a0 In fact I am even beginning to enjoy going to Club now as I am not so frightened of the other dogs and I really like learning.\u00c2\u00a0 I can walk close to Mum\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ankles and sit and stay for ages whether she<\/em> walks away or runs and jumps around me.\u00c2\u00a0 And although I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like being left if she walks across the hall I always try to wait and go straight to her when she calls me.<\/p>\n Now I go for a walk without Arnie every afternoon as well and I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s<\/em> much easier to contain my fear when Arnie isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t there barking in my ear and winding me up.\u00c2\u00a0 Some of the dogs that I used to be pretty<\/em> afraid of are turning out to be quite nice and I can even sit and wait quietly, when some the scariest ones <\/em>walk past.<\/p>\n In fact I seem to be making lots of friends of both the human and the doggy variety.\u00c2\u00a0 There is my best friend at Club, little Betty with her Mum Ann, who has always been kind to me and then there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a big and slightly scary dog called Colin, who has the nicest family that always make a bit of a fuss of me, making me feel special.<\/p>\n I also have so many friends when I go out for walks, Sam and Ellie, Jessie and Flossie as well as lots of humans, so life is different and harder but also getting better, especially things like running in the forest with Flossie which is the greatest fun.<\/p>\n Not that everything is always as straightforward as it sounds.\u00c2\u00a0 I think one of the reasons I get so easily upset is that somehow, in my early life, I lost the ability to understand what is happening around me properly, so I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t react in the right way.\u00c2\u00a0 I worked this out from listening to Julia talking to Mum \u00e2\u20ac\u201c so I hope I have\/I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got it right.\u00c2\u00a0 Anyway it seems that because of this Mum has to protect me and make decisions for me.\u00c2\u00a0 Which sounds all very well, but you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always take it too literally \u00e2\u20ac\u201c as I did once \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to my great cost.<\/p>\n Soon after this decision making thing started, I was out walking with Arnie, Flossie, Jessie and their Mum.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a freezing wintery day – the kind which turns your wee to icicles before it hits the ground!\u00c2\u00a0 I thought I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d found a rather clever way of showing off a bit to Flossie; I saw a huge puddle by the side of the road and reckoned if I started to walk into it I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d look really butch – and Mum, making the decision for me, would make me get out before it got too deep.\u00c2\u00a0 To my freezing humiliation though, it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work and I was wet and so c-c-cold for the rest of the walk.\u00c2\u00a0 When I took this up with Mum later she said she thought there were some decisions I ought to learn to make for myself \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I ask you!\u00c2\u00a0 She was really nice when we got home though and wrapped me up in a lovely warm towel.<\/p>\n Well, that more or less brings you up to date with my life; maybe I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll copy Arnie and start keeping a diary if anything exciting happens\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n Mages are teachers with deep learning and special gifts – more about them will shortly appear in The Tale of the Big Dog<\/a><\/p>\n Return to my home page<\/a><\/p>\n George x<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really remember my earliest days \u00e2\u20ac\u201c what I can remember was being HAPPY.\u00c2\u00a0 There were always people, \u00c2\u00a0laps to sit on, cuddles, \u00c2\u00a0lots of play, \u00c2\u00a0sticks to chase and\u00c2\u00a0lots of \u00c2\u00a0new things to learn. One of my favourite … Continue reading