Although at first glance it is not always immediately obvious, all good tales have their beginning in the ashes of a previous adventure. Every superhero has their own back-story, and the whole “prequel” industry relies on the fact that there is always a journey to get to the starting point. That being said, the obvious questions are often left unanswered; just who built the wall that Humpty Dumpty was sat on and was it supposed to be load-bearing in the first place?
Our own back-story is too long and complicated for this discussion, but suffice to say, after professional careers in Academia and Industry, my wife Jacky and I find ourselves running a B&B in southern Snowdonia, Wales. I volunteer for the local mountain rescue team, and many moons ago promised myself that I’d have a go at training a search dog. With not a lot of mileage left on my knees, the time has come to think about making it happen.
The real start of this story is built on the dogs who went before. Tess (2005 -2019), a Border Collie from working parents, was our first family dog. She was no real trouble at all, fooled us into believing we were good at training dogs and settled into a life working in the tourist industry. Her death a couple of weeks back left a big hole in our lives. Nell (died 2008) was a working sheepdog and Tess’s mum. She lived with us for the 8 months prior to her death, was no real trouble at all, fooled us into believing we were good at training dogs and settled into a life working in the tourist industry. Her death left a big hole in our lives.
Kip (b 2008), is a Collie/ English Springer Spaniel cross and very much still alive. She disabused us of any notion that we could train dogs, is a persistent and prolific food thief, and, given half a chance, can be relied upon to rifle through the guest-room bins. Her joy for life is second to none, such that at age 10 she is still mistaken for a puppy, and for all her faults there is not a malicious bone in her body. In the words of Monkey, the nature of Kip is irrepressible.
So the scene is set: a mad-dog in one corner, an empty dog-bed in the other, and the busiest part of the tourist season looming. I think we need a puppy.
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