On a recent dog walk, I noticed an issue with the vision in one of my eyes. It came on suddenly and I was concerned.
When we got home, I contacted my friend Kate who I met dog walking six years ago, and whose flatcoat retrievers are great friends with Flossie.
Kate came straight round, much to Flossie’s delight, and we agreed I should go to A&E because my sight could be at risk.
Flossie was less delighted when we left her behind to go to the hospital, gazing at us forlornly with a glum face.
I was booked into the eye clinic the following day to be checked over. I wasn’t allowed to drive so Kate came to my rescue, once again. This time, with a canine escort in the shape of her two flatcoat retrievers, Mabel and Evie.
There was a lot of enthusiastic wagging when I got into the car. The dogs were very pleased to see me. The feeling was mutual. Luckily, Flossie was settled in her bed and didn’t realise we were all going on a jaunt without her.
It turns out I’ve had a posterior vitreous detachment. All is well, but I now live with some pesky black “floaters” that dance across my eye, particularly in bright light. Hopefully these will become less annoying once my brain adapts to them. Importantly, my eye is perfectly healthy.
Now, I frequently wear sunglasses on our dog walks, even when it’s not sunny. And I work in semi-darkness with the brightness turned down on my computer screen. I don’t think Flossie has noticed that we are living like vampires. I guess she doesn’t rely on her eyes as much as I do. She’s not much of a reader.
The takeaway is that I’m so grateful for the friends I’ve met through Flossie.
You never know when you meet someone in a muddy field, that one day they and their dogs are going to be driving you to A&E.
As published in the Bath Chronicle, 23 March 2023
Suzy Pope is a certified copywriter and newspaper columnist specialising in pets, business and lifestyle. If you would like help with a writing project, please get in touch.
