The Journey from Hell

Well, I guess to call it the journey from Hell is a bit extreme - it just seemed to go on for ever and ever.  We were late setting off from Surrey, and the tears from all us women certainly made the start a bit upsetting.  Within five minutes of starting and my pup was still crying, we decided to stop to see if she needed to go to the toilet.  Yes, she weed, but she still cried, although a little less so.  I don't think she liked being in the car particularly, and it was very hot, so I'm sure there was an element of distress there which in turn I found distressing.

We were on our third stop at the services on the M6 Toll when we heard there was a ten mile tailback and three hour delay further north.  It certainly wouldn't be fair on the puppies to sit in that kind of traffic, so we decided to take a detour and call in on some Hovie friends of Craig's over Fleetwood way.  By the time we fought our way through all the rush hour traffic, plus all the others that had the same idea as us, it was pretty late before we got to Anne and Dave's.  Cups of tea, sandwiches and dog talk later, we ended up staying the night.  Thank you Anne and Dave - it really was lovely to meet you both, and Julie, and your dogs, daughter, grandchildren - what lovely people you all are!

Next morning saw us on the road at 6.20 - heavy traffic due to everyone catching up with their journeys - and still it seemed to go on an on.  Several stops to let pups out.  I think we made it to Craig's about 11.00, and I left there pretty soon after.  I was dreading the three hours of my journey up to Seil - if she didn't like Craig's car, and the motorway, she was going to hate my truck, and the winding road home.  She did pretty well until just after Inverary when she started to scream, and scream, and scream.  I was getting more and more upset listening to her and ended up pulling into a layby with a track going through some woods.  When I let her out, she greeted me like she hadn't seen me in days.  I always was a sucker for a pretty puppy, and this one had got me good and proper!  After a wee walk, and back in the car, I noticed her listening to the music coming from the speaker - head on one side, then the other.  Then she went fast asleep.  Wow!  I now know Chris Rea's song "September Blue" off by heart as I repeated it the whole way home!!  Thanks Mr Rea - I owe you one!

During the quiet of the last leg I reflected on how quickly this little mite has weedled her way into my heart and wedged it open just a little bit more to allow for the love she will need, and that I need to give her.  I also thought about the timeless wisdom that she seems to have in her eyes when she looks into mine.  Call me fanciful or whatever you like, but I'm a great believer that people and animals come to us for a reason, and often we have met them before, either in this life or a previous one.  That was what I saw in her eyes, and what made my final decision on her name - Riversong.  Her mother is called Rhea which means "flowing" hence the river part, and Riversong in Dr Who is a time traveller.  And as for the racket she can kick up, well, it's not exactly singing as we know it but I guess it is her own song.

On arrival at home I left her in the car briefly so she wasn't squashed or hurt in the melee of excited dogs.  Tussock was wide eyed and waggy tailed at the smells on my jumper.  I introduced her first and she reacted exactly as I had expected - gentle, waggy, curious, but somehow aloof.  In fact all the dogs reacted as I thought they would - Talulah was all hackles and growls until she twigged that Riversong is just a baby.  Sisko sniffed, wagged, and the look on his face said "not another one...."

"Everybody's got a bone except me...."

Looking pretty in the afternoon sunshine, not knowing what to do with her first bone!

"Must be something else I can do...."

"I'll duff up these sweet peas instead"

At long last we were home and we could all get on with developing all our relationships with the new arrival.  And where did she sleep?  What the heck - on the bed!  She'll end up there sooner or later, so we may as well just start as we intend to go on.  Oh the arguments that rage about where dogs should sleep!