Dog Walking

W hilst caring for my parents I used to walk my neighbour's basset hound for him and he would spend the rest of the day with Mum who like me was a great animal lover and loved him dearly. She died in hospital with a picture of him at the end of her bed.

After she died I applied to an advert to walk two labs for someone and people then started to ask me to walk their dogs.

Sadly, four years ago one of the original black labs spotted something late at night and pulled her lead out of my hand and ran streaight in front of a lorry. Her owners were in the Bahamas so I had to ring a parent to tell them what had happened and then bury Tilly in the garden the next day.

Tilly was replaced by Hattie who has proved to be a real handful as she combines both dominance and nervousness. So far we have somehow managed to avoid her harming any other dogs but I have been bitten by mistake and had my finger broken in the last two months.

Hector the other original lab was given three months to live (faulty heart) eighteen months ago but still happily lives on (although we did have a scare about a month ago). He takes twenty tablets a day rolled up in wafer thin ham.

Before I walk the two black labs I walk Elsa the overweight golden lab. I originally walked her for half my modest fee when her owner was pregnant but after he baby arrived three years ago I offered to walk her for free with Oscar the basset hound. Oscar's owner has recently retired so we now have two humans and to dogs first thing each morning.

Besides Elsa, Hector and Hattie who I walk every weekday I also occasionally walk Jack, another black lab, as a relief for another dog walker and Milly the retired greyhound and Barnaby the golden retriever come to stay with me when their owners go away.

When walking Hattie (after Hector has had his short walk) I feed two ponies called Ricky and Billy with polo mints. Elsa's  owner has two cats called Minx and Ginger who stand outside waiting for me when I arrive and return for their cat biscuits.