Gillys Blog

19 Jul 2010 - One of the gang

Dixie’s very much one of the gang now when we take the horses to a show – or to the beach. She recognises all the signs too – if I’m just going somewhere in the car, she shows no interest in accompanying me – but if we start to get the horsebox ready – she’s there at the gate, tail wagging furiously, making it absolutely clear we’re going nowhere without her!  It’s strange really – she’s always travel-sick if she goes in the car, yet she settles in the cab of the horse box no bother at all. Hard to tell whether that’s because of a difference in the vehicles, or simply that she knows trips in the horse box are a guarantee of fun and a good old romp at the other end. 

She thinks the beach is heaven on earth for dogs, as does our older dog Zara. They’re both really well behaved – they stay beside us and although Dixie can never resist introducing herself to other dogs she meets along the way, she’s pretty good about coming back when she’s called and she never strays far from Zara’s side.  A typical Labrador, she adores the water, chasing the little waves and diving about in the shallows. I always think dogs are the true personification of joy – and never more so than at the beach when they can run and play and just enjoy being dogs. Poor Zara does tend to get a little bit creaky after a beach trip, but she loves it so much I don’t want to leave her at home, so I think I’ll get one of the Paragon Vets to look her over soon and recommend something for her joints. I know there’s a lot they can do nowadays for older dogs. Zara’s always been a very active dog, but she was starting to prefer a lazier life before Dixie came along, and she was beginning to show signs of stiffness. Having Dix has actually given her quite a boost, but maybe she just needs a little bit of extra help now.