Bearing Up!

Me

I’m all confused as usual.  See I was out in the woods for a walk with Jean today and as we were making our way out of a shadowy bit a woman and a man were coming towards us. The woman was walking in front and so was I.

She was really well dressed compared to Jean who always wears the messiest clothes out on our walks. (I hope she doesn’t read this cos I don’t think she realises exactly how messy they are.) Anyway, the woman in the posh red outfit froze on the spot like she’d seen a ghost or worse than a ghost. I was so taken aback I skithered to a halt as well and just stared at her.

We were stuck in this stand-off for an age. There was absolute terror in her eyes and her face went so white I thought she was going drop down and, to tell the truth, the man didn’t look any great shakes either.

E  V E N T U A L L Y, the woman said she was from British Columbia and that she thought I was a black bear cos British Columbia’s woods are full of black bears.

I mean can you believe it? Someone thinking a puppy with spaniel ears could be a black bear?  I had to doogle British Columbia and Black Bears when I  could get my paws on the computer. Here’s a photo that I found:

This guy scared the livin’ daylights out of me and then I read all about the bears in British Columbia here. Jeepers creepers, what I need to know now is how anyone could ever live there and how could a puppy like me go for walks in the woods if the place is crawling with monsters like these.

I’ve a feeling that the woman probably saw me as looking like this  photo I found that Jean had marked as ‘Dud Stan.’

Fiercesome Monster Me

Oh and Belated Happy Canada Day to anybody from Canada who reads this. Doogle is a mine of information!!

All this has made me think of how we carry our fears around in us and turn situations all inside out and upside down.

I hope the lady in red has recovered and realises that Ireland is bear-free.

Talk soon,

Stanny.

P.S. I’m all upset cos Stan Wawrinka that I was called after lost in Wimbledon. See, he won the Australian Open the weekend before Jean got me so we follow him all the time.

I Want To Surprise Her!

Woof Everyone,

It’s two years today that I came to live here in Tramore. I was only 9 weeks old and Jean and Harry came allllll the way to the heart of Co. Wexford (that makes me a Yellow Belly) to get me. Well, they didn’t know it was me they were getting ‘cos there were five of us pups still waiting for homes.

We were all ‘love’ puppies. Our mama was a a golden cocker spaniel and our dada was a liver and white springer spaniel. Our mama was very, very pretty and was a champion show dog and often had puppies with other cocker spaniels. But she was in love with my dada who lived on the same farm and they decided that they wanted to have a family of their very own.

Funny enough, none of us looked like our parents. The others were all black and white and I was the only all black puppy. I knew I had a good chance of being picked by Jean because I heard the boss talking to her on the phone and saying that there was only one totally black pup in the litter.

It was dark when they arrived and I was all nervous. The boss brought them out to our shed and shone a torch down at us. I didn’t know what to do so I stood a bit back from the others and pricked my spaniel ears.

Harry immediately said: ‘Him, he’s lovely.’ He picked me up and petted me and then handed me to Jean. I clung onto her coat and tried to melt her eyes. I could feel her heart beating very fast and then I saw a little tear trickle down her cheek. (I didn’t know then that she was totally heartbroken and missing her precious Sophie who had  died only 10 days before. Getting me had been all Harry’s idea ‘cos he couldn’t bear to see her so upset.) I knew I had won her over when she stroked my ears with as much love as any puppy could ever want.

My First Time on a Cliff!

And puppies do want love; everyone wants love and that way the world can spin around in a twirl of happiness like a puppy running after his tail.

You hear about ‘a fly on the wall.’ Well, I’m a ‘puppy under the table’ and I see and hear everything that’s going on. BUT, I don’t ‘love and tell.’ That’s one tip my dada gave me when I was saying goodbye to him that night.

I was kinda surprised to be called Stan ~ but now I know the whole story. I’m called after Stan Wawrinka, the tennis player who had just won the Australian Open in 2014.

My Namesake, ‘Stan’ Wawrinka : Source:  Wikipedia

If I’d been got today, I’d definitely have been called Leighton, after Leighton Hewitt who played his last match today after a great career. Poor Jean was sobbing when he gave his farewell speech. I don’t think ‘Leighton’ would be a great name for me, though. It’s a bit of a mouthful and very grown-up sounding.

Two years has flown by ~ I often wonder about my brothers and sisters and how they’re doing and, of course, I miss my mama and dada. I hope they are still as madly in love as ever.

But, I wouldn’t change anything for the world, except maybe running up to the very top of the cliffs in Kilfarrasy the other week. I’m not the better of that yet and have nightmares about never being able to get back safe. I knew Jean loved me long before that day but I saw absolute love in her eyes when I eventually found a way back to the car. She didn’t even give out to me but just cuddled me like no other cuddle I’ve ever got and I was soaking and covered in rubble from the cliff face. We haven’t been back there since.

So, I’d best go and see if she’ll take me for a celebration walk, even though it’s raining. I’ve a feeling she will!

Happiness is …

Night all and Sweetest Dreams!

Love Stanny.

P.S. I love you, Jean, and I’m the lucky one, not you!

P.P.S. Good luck in The Austrialian Open, Stan W. You can do it!!!