Rantings

The dog behaviourist came on Saturday. She did some work with Sonny, then asked if there was a field nearby where we could do some long leash work. I said I didn't want to walk past that bloke's house but she assured me that he wouldn't say or do anything, and besides she was with us. So off we went. Boy was she wrong. Out the house they came (him and his wife) and started shouting and bawling at us. He kept saying that he was personally going to make sure that the dog was put to sleep and told the behaviourist that she was wasting her time because the dog was going to be dead soon. Ian warned him that if anything did happen to Sonny he would be in trouble (with the police) and the guy started bracing himself shouting "what did you say?" and making threatening advances towards Ian. His wife claimed that her son had been mauled by our dog (he had been nipped through his clothing ... didn't even draw blood) and complained that they hadn't even had an apology. To be honest, if my dog had mauled the boy I'd have taken him to be put to sleep myself immediately. I told her that her husband hadn't even given us a chance to apologise. As soon as we opened our front door to him he started with the bullying and threatening tactics. She said we'd had all week to come and apologise and I said I was steering well clear because he'd behaved like a psycho and frightened me. Then the bloke said to me "just you wait, I'm going to show you what real fear is". The behavourist was trying to reason with them, too, but they wouldn't listen to anything she had to say and told her she didn't know what she was talking about.

I no longer feel safe in my own home. I'm having serious panic attacks and I'm just a bag of nerves. The police should be visiting us again either this afternoon or this evening. Someone advised me to keep a diary of events. These are known as temporaneous notes and are admissable evidence, apparently. Let's face it this guy is going to end up with a civil harrassment case haunting him if this doesn't get sorted soon. We are doing everything above board, and are doing all that can be reasonably expected of us to ensure this never happens again. Having our dog killed for giving the boy some bruises is not reasonable. I will fight the bastard every step of the way.

It used to be that home was the only safe place to be. Anyone who has suffered anxiety/depression with associated agoraphobia will know what I'm talking about. One avoids situations which bring on panic attacks, such as being pushed about by crowds in the shops down to stupid things like answering the phone or front door. It escalates so that one's world becomes smaller and smaller, till eventually the only safe place is the chair you're sitting in and still the panic attacks don't go.

It's taken me a long, long time (several years) to work through this, and with the help of an absolutely brilliant psychotherapist over the past year I'm well on the way to leading a normal life ... so much so that I was starting to seriously think about trying to get back into work.

Sunday's events, however, seem to have had a major impact on my progress, but not in the way in which you might think. I'm starting to have anxiety attacks when I'm IN THE HOUSE on my own. After the threats we received at our front door on Sunday I no longer feel safe and can't wait to get out of the house in the morning. Today I spent the day at Ian's shop helping out, but when it became time to go home I started fretting and worrying about it. I was having palpitations, trembling and feeling nauseous. I had a pain in my chest and I was fighting back the urge to yell and sob and run away. It was just awful.

I did, however, overcome it, said goodbye to Ian and drove home as calmly as possible. Now I'm home it's not so bad, but the anger I now feel is almost overwhelming. I doubt if the bloke would give toss how much of an effect he's had on me, but I'm so angry all I want to do is go and smash his effing head in! No, don't worry, I'd never do it, but I've never felt rage as powerful as this in my whole life. If only I had some way of venting it. Maybe I should take up boxing ... waddya think? ;-)

Haven't been on for a while, but I've had a really stressful day and I'm just so chewed up I can't sleep, so I just had to let some of it out, so I'll say sorry in advance for boring you ...

Today, my dog bit a child. :-( Nothing serious, just a couple of nips ... didn't even go through his clothing, but that's not the point. He went for an eleven year old child. I feel so shocked and ashamed, I just want a big hole to open up in the ground and swallow me. I apologised to the boy, and a neighbour took him in (the boy had come to visit the neighbour's son when my dog rushed out of his own garden and into the neighbours') and said he would let his dad know. I said we would be in all day so he could come and talk to us about it.

Well, sure enough, he turned up, didn't even give us a chance to apologise and try to make amends, just told us he was calling the police and if they didn't order us to put Sonny to sleep he would come back and cut his throat. Needless to say, I was utterly shocked and just stood there at the door staring at him in disbelief. Once the door was closed I started crying again and shaking uncontrollably. That guy really really scared me.

Now, I know Sonny has problems, but I had no idea it was anywhere near as bad as this. We've only had him a few months, he came from a rescue place, and as well as being immaciated, he showed all the signs of being beaten and abused. He has some neuroses which we have been working on. He's been doing really well with his obedience training, and towards everyone else we know he is friendly and affectionate, so naturally, this came as a huge shock. And on top of that I had vicious threats from the boy's father.

Well, I phoned my cousin's house. Her husband is a policeman, and spoke to him, asking for advice. Or rather, I bubbled and wept while trying to speak coherently. He was very understanding and said that it didn't work that way, that he had no right to demand Sonny be destroyed, that the police did not have the power to order he be euthanised, and that the chances are it wouldn't even go to court. The boy sustained minor injuries, and in all his years in the police he had not known of one case like this that crown prosecution took up.

At worst we might get a fine, but more than likely we would get letter stating that we be required to ensure that he be more properly secured in future. Fair enough. I take full responsibility for my dog's actions and I agree he was dangerously out of control in a public place. He also said we should ring the police as well, to report the incident (which we are required to do so anyway) but to also tell them of the man's threats.

Well, a while later, the police arrived. He'd already been to talk to the boy and his father and took a statement. He'd also told the man that because he had made those threats that if anything happened to Sonny there would be arrests made at his house. Apparently the guy apologised to the officer for his conduct, but of course we can't expect an apology. Let's face it, he didn't get one from us ... he never gave us a chance! (To be truthful, I feel his son deserves the apology, not him.) We had to go down to the station to be interviewed on audio tape.

After the interview, the officer told us what the boy had put on his statement, and, as eleven year olds are apt to do, he had embellished his story somewhat! Apparently, Sonny latched onto his leg and violently shook his head for 10 seconds before having a go at the other leg! Now, I can't get angry at the boy, he'd had a nasty shock and maybe that is how he perceived it, but his dad saw those wounds (minor abrasions caused by friction from the fabric of his clothing and bruising from the pressure of the nips) and yet he believed what his son told him, and that's what really gets to me! Everyone else is in the wrong and of course his son is such an angel he just wouldn't tell a wee lie! I understand that he was angry and being protective over his boy, but really! Doesn't he realise he's just making himself appear really really stupid?

Anyway, the policeman told us that we seemed like sensible people who were already taking steps to correct Sonny's behaviour and had plans to install a larger gate and a crate for Sonny, and we had contacted a dog behaviourist for help, and that he really didn't think anything was going to come of it. Now we just have to wait and see.

Incidentally, the dog therapist is costing us £240. Just don't ask where the money is coming from because we don't know yet. But something has to be done. Money can be replaced. Sonny can't.

The vet rang yesterday. It is a histiocytoma after all, so I can now relax. :-)

On a lighter note, Ian came home tonight with Sonny after walking him and told me that he (Sonny) had made his first kill! Aargh! I've never had a dog that killed anything! Biff's caught lots of things but didn't hurt any of them and let them all go once she got bored. Sonny killed a rabbit outright and brought it back to show Ian, but the rotten scone wouldn't bring it home with him!! Harrumph! I'd have brought it home and put it in a pie. I love rabbit. But not Ian. He said he didn't think he could eat anything that he had just seen killed. The daft sod. If that was the case I'd have shared the pie with Sonny.

Some of you who have been reading my blog from before November will know that my beloved seventeen year old pooch, Biff, died quietly in my arms after battling cancer for several months.

Last night, Sonny, my two and a half year old Border Collie dog was playing with Ian when he (Ian!) noticed that he had a lump on his leg. I've just got back from the vet surgery. As he's had breakfast this morning they can't take it off today, so he's got to go back tomorrow morning to have it taken off and sent to the labs. Please keep your fingers crossed that it turns out to be benign. I don't think I could take losing another dog to cancer so soon.

Well, that about wraps it up for the photo entries. I'd just like to say a big thank you to Aris and Lula for making us feel so welcome, and for anyone else wanting to visit Kefalonia, go to Katelios Studios in Katelios!! You won't be disappointed!

The owners of the studios. From right to left: Lula, Georgio, Georgio's girlfriend (never did learn her name), and Aris.

And I don't want you see my sunburned nose, either!

No, I don't want my picture taken!!

A view across to Assos on a clear day.

This is the monastery. Very very pretty.

... and ostriches. Hang on a sec ... ostriches?!! For reasons no doubt only known to the monks, these were kept at the Monastery of Agios Gerasimou.

... wild goats ...

... a gecko ...

... swallowtails ...

.... an swallows ...

There were cute little lizards everywhere!

Our first night there and already we were being introduced to the locals at our front door!

Well, I'm back. Came back on Sunday, actually, but didn't get my photos transferred from camera to PC till now ... you know how it is ... too much laundry and unpacking to do, shopping, family to visit, etc! Our apartment was nice and clean, though basic ... which is all we expected for the money we paid! Still, there was a nice cool pool and a bar, so what more could we ask for? And to top it off, our favourite restaurant, Persa's Taverna, was just over the road. We hired a car for the full two weeks so we got to travel around the island quite a bit. Photos to follow shortly. I guess the only bad thing I have to say about Kefalonia is it has far too many mosquitoes. I'm still taking antihistamines even now!

Well, I'm off on my jollies tomorrow. It's been a while since my last entry, and to be honest I've been so busy washing, ironing and packing, I've been too tired to post an entry the past couple of days anyway. Still, off to the Med I go, to soak up the sun, drink cold beer, and eat lots of my favourite rabbit stifado!

So, enjoy, folks! Behave while I'm gone, and maybe there'll be some interesting photos to show you when I get back!

Toodle-oo!