Towpath workies

Well! That was different! This morning was all about a long workies along the towpath, then lots of ‘Sit. Down. Stay’ by the wet oblongs. The workies was good. Ma was pleased with me and GDMI was pleased with us both! That was a good start! It was all squishy muddy and Ma’s paws kept slip-sliding all over the place. Me? No problem! #4pawsisbest #2pawsiswobbly. We made it though and everyone stayed upright – JUST!

When we got to the wet oblongs, we had to keep going ‘straight on’ past the first one where we’ve stopped before, then ‘straight on’ again past the second one, and ‘straight on’ again past the third one too! Just past that we found a blue chuggyboat – a bit like ours, but with a very chuggy growlymonster inside the living bit! Beside it there was a hehooman who greeted Ma with a big huggle! Then he shook paws with GDMI and finally, he did the right thing and fluffled my ears! Apparently his name is Pete. I like Pete! He disappeared inside his chuggyboat and came out with a doggybuddy called Max. Max and I tried to have a bit of a play but were both styimied by our hoomans being on the daft end of our leads! Maybe another time…..

After a bit of hoomanwoofing, we (me and Ma, with GDMI tagging along behind) set off back to the wet oblong. Actually there were two wet oblongs – side by side. There was a different chuggyboat on its way into the one nearest us. We waited for it to get in, then the big gate shut it in. Then Ma and I had to ‘walk the plank’. This is where we go to the edge of the wetstuff, right by the gate. Then Ma lays the handle of my harness on my back, then I have to follow her to heel across the ‘plank’, which is a woodyboard attached to the gate. We dided it! We got across safely! Then I had to do a ‘Sit. Down. Stay’ on the greenfloorfur in between the two wet oblongs. Ma then got a strange bendystick out of her bag. She then went and used that bendystick to twirl a clanking thing on a post. She then walked the plank again, over to the far side. I had to ‘Stay’ for the whole time so I just watched her. I was a bit worried about her, so I did get up to go check that she was OK. She came back and got me to ‘Sit. Down. Stay’ again.

Pete’s Chuggyboat going down in the wet oblong

A rather weird thing happened; the wetsplosh in the oblong got higher and higher. Then, when it got almost to the top, Ma pushed her butt against the enormous stick that was sticking out sideways. This seemed to make the big gate open and Pete chugged his chuggyboat in. Then Ma shut the gate again and trapped him. She twirled the clankypost again and made the long black stick go down again. Then we had to go to the other end and do it all again. This time though, the wetsplosh went down and so did Pete on his chuggyboat. Ma opened the gates and out chugged Pete, then she shut the gates again. Then we had to ‘walk the plank’ back again and walk on down the towpath to repeat the process all over again – and again – at the other two wet oblongs. On these two, though, we didn’t have to walk the plank first. We stayed by the oblong nearest the towpath.

Down Stay at the lock watching Ma

Down Stay at the lock

Watching you watching me

That was all a big challenge and it seems that Ma and I have some practice to do in order to perfect it, but Ma and GDMI seemed very smiley and I got some luverly bellyrubs and fusses and Ma gave me lots of ‘What a good boy’!

We then set off to catch the bus and I made the most of the empty floor to have a good stretch out on the journey. I did slip and slide about a bit though as the bus zoomed and stopped! I’m sure I must have given the floor a good polish in the process! We got off that bus in town, then I had to ‘Find the box’ for Ma (I do like to do that – those boxes dispense a munchie for finding them!), then we went across the bleepy and on to another busstop. A second bus ride got us back to near home. Then a bit of a workies got us the rest of the way to chuggyboathome. GDMI  left us then, and I seemed to sink into the rug for a while.

Later, I got to strut my stuff guiding Ma, with Pa in tow too, on another long workies to a postyshop, then on, via a new route, to Aldishop. After workiesing all around inside the shop, we set off back to ‘Find the way home’. It was darktime by then! That meant that Ma really couldn’t see diddlysquat! So I had to really do my bestest. I did! We got home safe and sound and Ma was really really really smiley at me, with lots of ‘What a good boy’ stuff – including a little munchie! Wow! I must’ve done a good job! Well, it was a good job worth doing!

Waiting at the kerb in the dark