Off I scoot every day but only if it is not raining.  I take the dogs with me and Floss helps me by bringing Jack on his lead.  Jack is doitin (Shetland dialect – adj – mentally confused. Du’ll git nae sense oot o him he’s fair doitin.) now.  He is almost blind and totally deaf.  He has to go out on a lead or he gets to the gate, turns round and goes back home which is not really a walk of any pee-ing substance.  So Floss gently guides him and we go very slowly – tortoise speed on my scooter dial.

We crawl up the track.  Loki goes on ahead but is good about coming back while BeAnne is absolutely determined for me to run her over.

Jack is a little wind-up clockwork toy in the bath.  He just keeps going in the direction he is pointing so when you need to turn him round, you have to do just that and then he walks in that direction, ie home again.

I must admit, I hate seeing Jack like this.  He was always a dog of purpose.  He is of indeterminate age – he was a stray dog off DogPages .  After Celt died earlier this year, he aged before us very quickly.  Who knows how old he actually is – my guess is he is about 15 years old.  But he goes forwards at a steady walk, he is mostly continent, he is happy in his own world and routine so as long as we have that, he has a fair quality of life.  So we do the walks he knows so he can bring himself home if he wants to.  Like me, he becomes more achey and hoppity with wet weather.

We don’t do horses with Jack. He loathes them and has never forgiven Hammy for escorting or frog-marching him out of the field, with his nose up his bum.  Jack had sworn at him for investigating him when he had his nose down a rabbit hole.  He can hold a grudge forever, I think.

And for anyone missing the horses, Floss went out to take pictures and feed carrots.  When I whistled for the dogs, they all appeared from miles away at an optimistic flat gallop.

Btw, no offence Daisy, but your horse is silly…..

Just sayin’