I do not intend every entry on my blog to be about my dog, Jack, but when something becomes such a large and important part of your life it’s hard not to talk about them (a lot!).
Having had Jack for nearly 6 months now I have become a well established member of the Dog Walking Community. This is one of the strangest and most bizarre communities one could ever be apart of, it’s like a secret society, and the secret handshake is the dog by your side. No dog, no membership. This is a community that gives you an absolute right to stop and talk with any other person walking a dog, whether you know them or not, and if approached by a dog walker you are obliged to stop and chat. The length of the chat is often dictated by the length of time taken by the dogs to sniff each other’s bits and parts. Once one of the dog’s interests have waned, its time to move on.
It is also a community where you will rarely know the name of the owner of a dog, but only their dog’s name. When I go to Scotland Yard (the Park at the end of Scotland Street) there are loads of members of the dog walking community and I can name over half-a-dozen dogs, but not one owner, and I am convinced as many of them know Jack by name, but none would know my name. In fact, I am sure most people in the park know Jack’s name, as often I can be found tearing after him, calling out to him and waving a dog treat in his direction trying desperately to bring him to heal.
Jack, as most of you who have met him will know, is a very social member of the dog walking community and there isn’t a dog in the park he hasn’t or doesn’t want to sniff. In fact many of them he sniffs on a daily basis, which leads me to assume that he must simply love the smell down there or that he has smell memory of a gold fish. Personally, I think it’s the former. All of this is allowed in the dog walking community and in fact it is encouraged, as everyday between 6pm and 6.30pm many members of the dog walking community gather together at the centre of the green in Scotland Yard to allow their dogs to participate in, what I have come to know as the “Great Sniff!”. The dogs, at least those that can be trusted, are let off their leads and frantically scamper from one to the other to sniff. The owners largely ignore their dogs, but stand in a collective to talk about, yes, you’ve guessed it, their dogs!
Dog gossip, by the way, can include anything from which dog’s in the community are badly behaved (I often wonder if Jack is mentioned while I am not around), what are the latest ailments each dog has and where they are getting treated, to new gadgets, toys and grooming implements that owners have purchased for their beloved dogs.
Anyway, I guess that’s enough dog gossip from me today. I’m sure I will write more and more about Jack and I dare say the dog walking community, as time goes by. After all, with Jack comes at least a ten year membership!
Having had Jack for nearly 6 months now I have become a well established member of the Dog Walking Community. This is one of the strangest and most bizarre communities one could ever be apart of, it’s like a secret society, and the secret handshake is the dog by your side. No dog, no membership. This is a community that gives you an absolute right to stop and talk with any other person walking a dog, whether you know them or not, and if approached by a dog walker you are obliged to stop and chat. The length of the chat is often dictated by the length of time taken by the dogs to sniff each other’s bits and parts. Once one of the dog’s interests have waned, its time to move on.
It is also a community where you will rarely know the name of the owner of a dog, but only their dog’s name. When I go to Scotland Yard (the Park at the end of Scotland Street) there are loads of members of the dog walking community and I can name over half-a-dozen dogs, but not one owner, and I am convinced as many of them know Jack by name, but none would know my name. In fact, I am sure most people in the park know Jack’s name, as often I can be found tearing after him, calling out to him and waving a dog treat in his direction trying desperately to bring him to heal.
Jack, as most of you who have met him will know, is a very social member of the dog walking community and there isn’t a dog in the park he hasn’t or doesn’t want to sniff. In fact many of them he sniffs on a daily basis, which leads me to assume that he must simply love the smell down there or that he has smell memory of a gold fish. Personally, I think it’s the former. All of this is allowed in the dog walking community and in fact it is encouraged, as everyday between 6pm and 6.30pm many members of the dog walking community gather together at the centre of the green in Scotland Yard to allow their dogs to participate in, what I have come to know as the “Great Sniff!”. The dogs, at least those that can be trusted, are let off their leads and frantically scamper from one to the other to sniff. The owners largely ignore their dogs, but stand in a collective to talk about, yes, you’ve guessed it, their dogs!
Dog gossip, by the way, can include anything from which dog’s in the community are badly behaved (I often wonder if Jack is mentioned while I am not around), what are the latest ailments each dog has and where they are getting treated, to new gadgets, toys and grooming implements that owners have purchased for their beloved dogs.
Anyway, I guess that’s enough dog gossip from me today. I’m sure I will write more and more about Jack and I dare say the dog walking community, as time goes by. After all, with Jack comes at least a ten year membership!
