Bath looked spectacular after the recent snowfall. Apart from the obligatory ‘snow day’, there was another bonus for us – clean paws.
Flossie’s face, when I opened the back door to reveal the blanket of white stuff, was pure delight. She sprinted across the lawn, doing gazelle-like jumps as she simultaneously attempted to scoop the snowflakes up in her mouth.
It was a welcome interruption to the season of mud familiar to all dog walkers.
The months of mud last for much of the year. You resign yourself to the lengthy clean-up operation required after every dog walk. Paws and legs need to be washed and dried and, more often than not, everything else too.
And then there’s the boot of my car. No matter how carefully I line it with plastic sheeting and towels, it is permanently mud-splattered, particularly after Flossie has executed a full body shake.
Mud can also result in the occasional awkward situation.
Picture us trudging through squelchy, quagmire-like fields as a lady wearing a pristine white top walks towards us. I had an inkling about what was going to happen next. And, sure enough, it did.
We had stopped briefly to pass the time of day, as we often do, when, horror of horrors, Flossie did a lightening quick vertical bounce and planted a wet, muddy paw print on the lady’s expensively clad tummy.
I wanted the ground to swallow me up. I apologised profusely.
The lady was really quite pleasant about it, although understandably slightly tight-lipped as she told me she was dressed to go out for lunch.
Oh my. I quietly turned myself inside out with embarrassment.
So, as we stomped through the recent snow, it was not only a joy to watch Flossie as she dashed about, it was also pleasing to know that her paws were wet, but beautifully clean.
As published in the Bath Chronicle, 28 February 2019
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.
