Big bird and the small cockerpoo

It seems that Freya has a thing about kites. She reminded me of Carmen today when she started barking at a big, bird shaped kite being expertly flown by a dad and his two kids. Carmen didn’t like flying things either. She had a specific hatred for Montgolfier but I think she’d have had a go at this kite as well.

Or, perhaps Freya was worried it was a massive bird that would take her away in it’s evil looking talons.

I will never know for sure, but it was odd behaviour for Freya who generally only growls at invisible things and when Emma annoys her too much. This kite upset her. Emma, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. It was time to go home, and she only had eyes for our street.

Speaking of big birds, we were sitting on the terrace this evening, having our hour read, when suddenly, the instantly recognisable screeching moan of a seagull was heard above us. We looked up. There was a single, solitary gull flying in circles and calling as if looking for a relative.

It’s unusual to see gulls here unless there’s ploughing going on locally so it was a big surprise. Mind you, Freya didn’t seem at all concerned given she was fast asleep on my lap. Emma gave the big bird a glance but then dropped her tennis ball next to me, insisting she hadn’t had enough chasing it up in the park earlier. I told her she had had enough.

After all, Emma decides when she’s had enough ball throwing. When in the park, she will just carry the ball and head for home. If she hasn’t had enough, she will drop the ball at my feet ready for another run. She’s a dog who knows her own mind.

And she had a lot of ball chasing today as we managed to get as far as the bench just beyond Squirrel Tree. Of course, that included a couple of rests on the way in order for Emma to recover. She prefer long grass in the shade or, at a pinch, underneath the bench I’m sitting on.

Freya doesn’t exactly wear herself out though she did meet a lot of other dogs today. She has an odd set of social skills. She will approach another dog, her tail wagging and, obviously keen to say hello then engage in a bit of mutual sniffing. She will then, suddenly, bounce around a bit before heading back to me. That’s the sum total of her socialising.

Emma just has eyes for her tennis ball and rarely engages with other dogs.