As Baggy drove Furry Mama to the beach, she watched a young woman walking towards her, with a young Staffordshire Bull Terrier on a lead. Well, Creative Clara says, 'on a lead', but the reality was a little different. The dog was grabbing the lead with his teeth, pulling it as hard as he could, and shaking it madly, to kill it. The young woman was laughing at the dog's antics.
Yes Baggees, a happy scene. Except that it really wasn't! The dog was playing, yes, but this was on a pavement next to a busy town road. Traffic was driving past her constantly, and Furry Mama watched in horror, as the dog pulled back, hard enough to unbalance the girl. Freda Fretter cringed as the young dog stepped back into the road, pulling the young girl with him. Fortunately the car that was bearing down on them from behind, swerved and managed to miss the dog, and Billy Bob Jalopy campervan (which was no mean feat).
'Well, at least the silly woman should have learnt her lesson now, eh Pepper?'
'Doubts it mums. Looks!'
The pooch was right; as Baggy looked in her side mirror, she could see the dog leaping up and jumping on the woman, as it continued to fight her for the lead.
On Saturday, Furry Mama, the pooch and Calum went for a walk at Southwold. It was a beautiful day, so the beach was heaving with people. Rather unusually for Southwold, there was a baby Grey Seal on the beach at the sea edge. As is the modern, (stupid) way, a lot of people were bothering the pup, trying to get photos of it, but one young man was guarding the seal from a distance of about ten yards. As always, Pepper was so totally focussed on his ball, that he had no interest in the seal; indeed he probably hadn't even spotted it! Furry Mama called him over to her, so that they could walk past without upsetting the cute little chap.
'I guess someone has already called a rescue centre?' asked Furry Mama of the young man, as she past him.
'Yes. The local seal sanctuary said to leave him be.'
'He's very little. Will he be okay without his mum?'
'He'd struggle. But hopefully she hasn't abandoned him yet. Although she will if he smells of human's or dogs.'
Furry Mama and the pooch carried on up the beach, trying to catch up with Calum, who was off in the distance. Forty-five-or-so minutes later, having totally lost Calum, Pepper and Furry Mama found him again at the cafe. As they set off together, back towards the car, Baggy asked Calum if he'd noticed the seal as he marched on.
'No I didn't see one. Was it dead?'
'No, it's alive. It's just over there - look.'
'Dad woz too busys marching on mums. Now just throw de ball pleaze!'
'Over here Pepper.'
'Oh mums! Why? I not goes anywheres near dat funny smelly fella, he iz frightled. Oh all rights then, if I must.'
Furry Mama carried on up the beach with Pepper bouncing at her side, waiting for his ball. When they were well away from the baby seal, Baggy threw the ball. Pepper hurtled off after it.
Baggy turned round, realising that she'd lost Calum again. 'Now where's your dad gone?'
'Don't knows mum. Throw de ball. Throw de ball.'
'Oh, there he is!'
'Mums, de ball is there! Throw it.'
'Yes I can see it! There you go.'
Baggy headed back towards Calum, who was in deep conversation with the young man protecting the seal. Furry Mama realised that the little pup had finally turned around and was facing the sea, but there was still no sign of his mum. As she watched, a young couple approached the seal pup. The woman had two large dogs on leads; the man had a small Jack Russell, that as Baggy watched, ran straight at the seal pup.
Furry Mama was horrified, as the dog was inches from the pup, who tried to get away from it.
'Oy! Get your dog away from the seal!' yelled the young man.
'Why mate? It's not doin' any 'arm', growled the man, doing nothing to call back his dog, that was now yapping at the tiny pup.
'It's terrifying it! Call your dog away.'
'Nah mate! It's only makin' it go in the sea. That's where they live innit?'
By now, the young man was walking over to the couple, as the little seal shuffled towards the sea.
'Get that dog away now.'
'Oh get a life!' crowed the woman.
Baggy listened to the contratemp, as the young man got more and more angry with the couple, who were now letting all three dogs go up to the seal. They finally got the message and stomped off. As they walked towards Furry Mama, she noticed that the Jack Russell wasn't loose as she had supposed, but was on a flexi-lead.
'Stupid, ignorant idiots,' thought Furry Mama, worried for the seal, who was now shuffling into the sea itself.
'Lots of stoopids hoomans mums. Why iz you surprized?'
'God, who did he think he was? They live in the sea, so what was his problem?' laughed the woman to her partner as they were dragged past Baggy by their dogs.
As Furry Mama watched, the little pup pushed itself off and headed out to sea, then dived underwater. Baggy approached Calum and the young man.
'Do you think he'll be okay?'
'Well, we can only hope so. It was probably cold, and or exhausted and resting in the sun to warm up. Hopefully it's mum is still around.'
It turned out that the young man, who was on holiday from Essex, works for a scuba-diving company, that rescues wildlife all over the world. He had stood protecting the seal for over two hours and had spent most of it, trying to stop people approaching the pup to take photos, or getting people to control their dogs around it.
Now Clever Bird has always believed that having a dog is a privilege not a right. And that with that privilege, comes responsibility. Not just to keep that dog well, properly fed-and-watered, and safe and warm, but to train it! What's more, to train yourself about being a good 'owner'; or as Furry Mama would prefer to say, a good parent, as you really shouldn't own your children. And while ever people think that a dog is some kind of possession, they must also think that it's something they can get rid of when it doesn't suit them any longer.
Clever Bird suspects that it won't be long before the young Staffy ends up in a rescue home because it's 'uncontrollable'. Or the Jack Russell gets into trouble because it hurts a cat.
Obviously, some dogs end up in rescue centres for unavoidable, genuine reasons. But most seem to end up there because they've been in homes where they were not treated with the respect that they deserve.
Furry Mama cannot believe that the incredibly intelligent Pepper Pooch, was given up, because, "He was uncontrollable and untrainable."
To have a dog in your life is a privilege and a responsibility! If everyone believed that, then maybe the 100,000+ dogs, that end up in rescue homes every year in the UK alone would reduce...
Note to readers: For the avoidance of any doubt, every character in this blog is Baggy! No Baggy was harmed in its writing, although some of them get pretty confused!
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