Dog Days of Summer

Well, I did the marathon. And yes, it did hurt! So I am glad Kenna didn't come for that run with me. And since then, I've slowed down a bit, due to a knee injury. But as my family are always telling me, "That's boring, we don't want to know!" So, I won't bore YOU with the details.

In any case, Kenna couldn't care less how far we run, especially at this time of year when it's warm. Being black, she overheats very quickly, so her idea of a perfect day is to run along the river so that she can dip in and out to refresh herself. She'll have a swim and a quick slurp, and then she's back on the towpath and ready to run again. Her favourite place to swim is in the sea, where she likes to have a bit of company . . .

But although, sadly, we don't live by the sea, we do have fresh water on our doorstep, so yesterday morning so we ran from our house to the nearest town with the canal and river beside us all the way. Complete heaven for dogs. And humans, as it turns out. We got to the bridge where the water is very shallow and crystal clear, and Kenna plunged in right away, her tail spinning like a helicopter blade.

There is something infectious about Kenna's happiness when she is in the water; it was certainly too much for me to simply stand there and watch. In seconds, my smelly trainers and socks were off, and my hot sweaty feet were splashing through the pebbles and river weed and tiny fish darted over my wriggling toes. So there we were, my pooch and I, dabbling and paddling, kicking in the shallows, enjoying the sun on our backs and the cool water on our feet: the rest of the world had faded into the background.

Not for long.

"Hello," said a voice. I looked up sharply, blood rushing to my already red and sweaty cheeks. It was a neighbour out running with her husband. "Having fun?" she called cheerily. I nodded sheepishly and looked at myself and Kenna through my neighbour's eyes: a strange woman, wading into the river with her dog. I did feel like a prize loony.

My only consolation was that at least I had not given into my original idea of jumping right in and having a proper swim when I had thought no one was looking.