Evening all
My faith in humanity has been restored today. I went for an outdoor meeting with the head vet and her dog this afternoon on Hampstead Heath with the proviso that we'd get to a certain point and the dog wouldn't want to walk any further as she'd think she was going home, so she would go on to Hampstead to get parking permits for clients and I'd walk the dog back. So far so good, we both aired worries and good stuff about our jobs and how we feel things are going - I was convinced I was going to get a 'you're not pulling your weight' speech, but wasn't the case at all, just a good amount of exercise.

So anyway, she leaves and I start walking back across the heath. Dog doesn't like other dogs but will be a nightmare to keep on a lead as she's never kept onlead there normally. So I'm throwing her toy for her and keeping a close eye out for other dogs and not really paying attention to which way we're going. After 10 minutes I'm totally fucking lost and the dog has gotten bored and now wont come back when I call her, I have to keep throwing the stupid toy to entice her closer instead - she's a collie, so can run a lot faster than me.

Now I remember that there were buildings on the left of me when we came in, so aim for them in a lazy zigzag as there's people and dogs about so keeping dog entertained and trying to find somewhere that looks familiar, of course nothing does.

First guy I asked directions of was also lost, but said he thought it was the direction I was going to get back. As I'm asking directions dog runs off, finds a nice ripe patch and starts rolling around in fox poo. Fucking nice. Then streaks off down the hill to the pond where the ducks are...looks at me saying no very loudly and firmly, winks and jumps in. She starts swimming around like the little monster she is (we'd discussed how the ponds there probably contain parvo virus, so not the best place for a dog with a sensitive stomach to be at the best of times). The only way I can get her out is to start walking away and pretend to ignore her, so she swims to the side, puts her feet up on the bank and pants. Figuring she's been out for about 45 minutes at this point and it's stupidly humid I relent and haul her out, soaking myself with scummy pond water in the process.

I start walking again, but this dog does indeed have OCD (vet told me this a few weeks ago, but I'd not seen it until now). She won't walk along certain paths, just stops dead and refuses to move. So we take another path, and then another. Eventually we've passed both ponds which I was told are about half a mile from where we started when we entered the heath and it starts to rain.

I have no phone, no money, just cigarettes. I think the guy I asked could see just how fucked off, but amused I was with the situation when I explained to him that I was very very lost and needed to get to a certain entrance to the heath. He and his friend walked me to the entrance and then gave me a lift back to the clinic for free in his (thankfully) licensed black cab. I made a mental note of the license number in case he turned out to be dodgy, but he couldn't have been nicer and refused to wait while I went inside to get money for him.

Apologies for length. How was your day?
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Thu 31 Jul 2008, 20:45, Reply)