In The Beginning

There was a time when having a dog was a simple affair. Perhaps your neighbour’s Lab got out when she was in season and bam! A litter of puppies, sold over the garden fence for a fiver and the children would be content for the summer hols having a furry friend to play with. Maybe you’d invest in a collar, a bag of Bonio’s, and if you were feeling extravagant, some Pedigree Chum. It’s just not like that now. It’s all pet insurance, dog trainers, tracking devices and understanding your dog’s instinctive behaviour. It’s much more self-conscious. Dog ownership has changed massively, Covid and puppy farming hasn’t helped either.

Still the purpose of having that most beloved and comforting of all pets, the dog, hasn’t gone away. It’s about companionship and walking the dog, just that. What does it bring to our lives, is it helpful or beneficial? For me, not only is it helpful, having spent three months dogless for the first time in my life, I realise for some of us, and I include myself in this, having a dog is pretty much essential.

I bring you “just walking the dog …”

A weekly online column inspired by walking with Moss my Collie dog.

AJK