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.
I chose to sit outside as the weather was good and chose a table with the Cafe wall behind it as a refuge for a very scared Nanette. She dived into the corner and pressed herself into the wall. She would not sit down and relax and I noticed her eyes were staring and her sides heaving with rapid breathing. Every time someone passed, she wanted to escape! Needless to say, I didn't finish my coffee!!. The whole experience was made worse by the presence of three English women holidaymakers at the next table, who were clearly convinced that I had been mistreating Nanette!! They thought I was French and wouldn't understand their rather loud comments!!
I had the idea that if we repeated this often enough, she would soon get used to it! But that was not the case ...in fact it is only now ...after 3 years....that she is comfortable in the Cafe. She has developed an affection for the Chef!! who is a lovely gentle man and has two fingers missing as a result of accidents in the kitchen!! When he arrives, everything is alright in Nanette's world!!
There is no doubt that she attracted alot of attention on our outings and still does!! It's a certain Graciousness about her, a particular 'Serenity'...evident even in those early days at times. These characteristics have become more and more marked over time and I have never seen a suspicion of aggression in her, either towards other dogs or humans.
AH!!! but CATS!! Well, it's not really aggression but a 'let's have some fun here' attitude!!! Now at about this time, Nanette had to go through the 'Initiation' required of all Vence dogs who walk in the Medieval centre of Vence. These cats are by no means your normal everyday Moggies!! My theory is that they are all reincarnations of cats who occupied the town and had the important job of keeping the rat community down in the 13th/14th centuries!!
When Nanette approached her first 'town Mog', I watched with interest!! This particular cat occupies the shoe shop... It's black, huge and immovable! She went to pounce towards the cat ( I had her on a tracking lead ) ...it never budged...surprise, surprise!!! It never even arched it's back or hissed at her!! A really self possessed Puss!!
What to do? Ah!! Advance from the side? I warned her but she approached and got a hefty swipe from a pudgy paw!! It had the desired effect because although I won't say she doesn't flirt with the idea of some fun, she has since given every cat in the old town a wide berth!! Experience is the best Teacher!!! In the House, she continued to have her meals placed beside her bed, I became less and less bothered about it. xx