Just look at this picture!!...and see the ease with which Nanette takes a stance and laps the water!!! So what??.... It was only a few months ago that we would be obliged to go a long way round on our town walk to avoid this ' dangerous monster!!!

Nanette was terrified of both Fountains....this one being the biggest represented the greatest threat!!....( installed in the town since her arrival here with me  4 years ago,)....

It happened once before recently...and then again yesterday. Nanette and Bertie have begun playing with each other. Although this is very charming, it is also a big worry!! In the first place, Nanette is 27 kilos and Bertie only 5, which puts him at a considerable disadvantage

About three weeks ago, I came in from shopping to discover Bertie reeling about in his own faeces with his head covered in blood. I saw the bone I had left in Nanette's bed and assumed that this must have been the reason...but I have done that many times before because normally Bertie would not approach the bed under those circumstances. I could not accept that Nanette.....who has always been completely passive and without aggression.... could have been responsible. There was however no other explanation.

I would like to jump forward briefly  to the present day in this account of Nanette's Life.

The past three years have been Extraordinary, Hair raising, Terrifying, Wonderful, Extremely Funny at times....this Dog has revealed a whole new Canine Dimension to me!!

The picture here records the first time that Nanette went out in the garden and lay down in the little grass patch...What's so remarkable about that???.This was only 5 days ago after being with me 3 years and 4 months!!.

My first attempts at getting Nanette to a Cafe were a nightmare for both of us. You might well ask why I bothered?!! Let's just say that at this stage, even though I had decided to follow my own instincts and intuition, I was still influenced at times by comments and remarks made by those around me and that which I read on the Internet.

The concept of 'Allowing' Nanette and creating a 'Psychological  Space' for this 'Allowing' was young and fragile in my mind. We were going out in the car every day and this was now an accepted thing. Walking into town was also a daily affair, so we were all set for the Cafe.

Inevitably, this event with our friend, the 'Drunk' put us back, nevertheless I  continued socialising Nanette by visits to the town on a daily basis.  Nanette's fear of other dogs!!! and birds!!( I do mean the feathered variety!!) was also a handicap!! She simply would not stay in the garden for any length of time anyway but if a bird flew over she'd dive into the apartment!! SO...what with dogs, birds, men and traffic as well as noise....well! we had a lot to face and overcome.

Having overcome the difficulty of getting Nanette through the electronic gates, I was determined to build on that success and her increasing confidence. To this end, I set out the following day to repeat the trip into town.

All went splendidly until we came to the more narrow part of the road. I saw him up ahead....the drunk that is.......I knew him as a regular in the town and always made a point of greeting him. This poor man evidently lived in a squat and depended completely on alcohol to get through a day. On this particular day, he was already drunk at 11am.....it was clear to see from where I was positioned  but I had no reason to suspect what was about to happen...!!