Some of last year's occurances

I was very busy over last year and neglected writing in my blogsite - probably because I was adding blogs for work, and then walking Patch in the evenings up until August when he unfortunately died in a stupid accident.

He really loved swimming and would go into any water he could. I had gone down to the river near the Brownie Linn waterfall at Muirshiel, one afternoon [after three and a half days of rain], and had told Patch-NO for swiming - then got distracted and was trying to photograph some Common Blue Butterflies. Each time I looked up Patch was waiting for me and then I looked up and he was not there!!! - I just knew he had gone into the river which was in spate. I found his body a mile downstream one and a half hours later. His body was caught on a rock but his head was bobbing under the water................As you may imagine I was devastated.......I managed to pull him out of the water but then broke down and 'howled my sorrow to the wilds' Luckily the other two rangers had returned from patrol, got my message and had come to help search for Patch. They carried him, and helped me, back to the centre, and into my car. I brought his body home and buried him in the garden the next day with the help of my brother. I still miss him terribly as he was just such an excellent character - good manner, loving, well behaved[trainable]. Everyone at work was shocked and saddened at the news, as he had made himself a part of the whole team at Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.

I eventually decided to go back to the Dog's Trust in October, to 'register my interest' in another Dog, and believe it or not later that evening I got a call through a friend in Lochwinnoch, about another dog which was needing a new home as its owners had both died [in April and October]. I met him at Castle Semple, with the neighbour who had been looking after him temprarily, and he found a new home with me.

Hamish - was a very skinny, Dingo like dog -smaller than Patch, and definately more skittish, but he has settled in over the past four months and [after 'THE SNIPS'] has also calmed down a lot, although he is not as responsive to training as Patch was , he is coming along slowly. He is however very loving and gets on well with my cat Suki!!