Dear Diary: 23rd November 2019 – Babysitting the dogs!

What does one do on a Saturday afternoon? Babysitting the dogs, that’s what! Normally, we would all be at home but not today! Today, two of us have gone out to bring our disc-grinding 4×4 back from a garage in Kaber, and the third wheel – me! – has been landed with the job of looking after one very energetic Alsation adopted by our son, and one nicely laid back lad, our own Great Dane adoptee, Horatio. The first finds it difficult to sit still, like a fidgety child in an infant class, and the other is quite happy to lie down quietly for me so that I can get things done.

Lake Windermere

The weather is looking a little grey today; despite this, Lake Windermere and the fells which we see from our windows are looking beautiful if somewhat moody. But whilst I am observing their statuesque beauty, I feel a pair of sleepy orange eyes upon me. Jake is finally falling asleep! All that activity has caught up with him at last, and he has lain his head upon his paws and closed his eyes as I write. Dogs, though, seem to have the ability to wake up instantly should something take their interest. However, I am hoping that my luck will hold out for at least a little while!

Babysitting the dogs is so different when one dog is more energetic than the other. Horatio was rather bouncy when he was younger, and when I babysat both him and Zack, our Pyrenean Mountain Dog, he was always moving about. Nevertheless, I think our German Shepherd is even more active! It’s a wonder he can sit still at all!

Babysitting the dogs

Both dogs are now lying down nicely and I hope that nothing will arrive to interrupt this interlude. I can perhaps now go get some lunch and return to find them still prone on the floor, perhaps even snoring away! Babysitting the dogs can be fun, but it can also be stressful when one wants to play and the other doesn’t. I end up as the umpire then, and have to tell the offending dog – almost always Jake – to “Leave!”

As I reach the end of this post, I can report that I now have two dogs breathing heavily as they fall into deeper slumber. One can hear the proverbial pin drop in our otherwise hushed surroundings. Babysitting the dogs isn’t so difficult after all, if I can manage to keep this going until the other two get home. And then I can hand the responsibility over to someone else or babysit one dog on his own. It’ll be easy peasy then!

Blenheim Lodge . . . panoramic Lake views, peace and tranquillity, nestled against acres of beautiful fields and woodlands, in the heart of the English Lake District National Park.’