Angus

With Jeff aged 6 weeks

I thought it was high time I wrote to you about Angus, my gorgeous lurcher, and to thank Jeff for bringing him into my life.

He was born on 31st of March 2010, his dad is Rogue and his mum is Peaches. Now 6 months old he is 24ins, and his weight, 3 weeks ago was 20kg. Angus loves to run, play (especially if it involves water or other dogs), eat, sleep and do the odd bit of work surface surfing (otherwise known as steeling). He goes to school and is currently studying for his Bronze Good Citizen Award. He knows exactly what is expected of him but doesn’t always comply, preferring to flash his long ginger eyelashes and bounce around like a springbok to win the hearts of his teachers. Everywhere he goes he has admiring glances and I’m constantly talking to people, who stop to admire him, even when he is dripping wet and covered in sheep poo.

I love the fact that he is sometimes mischievous and unpredictable, but always runs back to you at high speed when you call him, with his ears flapping and tail flying behind him, although his brakes don’t seem to work too well and he often flies past and stops 10 meters away so he is ready to make another dash should the need arise. He has not chased a rabbit yet even when they have been across the other side of the field, but he does train himself by running madly in figures of eight and seeing how quickly he can turn, quite often ending in a misjudgement and a tumble or slide rather than a turn, In these instances he quickly picks himself up and checks that no one was watching before swiftly moving on, rather like a cat.

Having Angus has made quite a few changes in my life; I didn’t realise he would take up so much of my time. The first couple of months were the worst and I did wonder if we had done the right thing but putting the time and effort in then and continuing to do so is starting to pay dividends and now and I wouldn’t be without him. I have always loved being outdoors and have a great interest in nature and conservation but walking in the countryside with Angus has opened my eyes to the changing seasons and the cycle of farming life. Not being a morning person, he gives me a reason to drag myself out of bed in the mornings, although he sometimes looks at me as if to say, don’t you think it’s a little early to be getting me up out of my cosy bed, especially in the recent dark, damp mornings.

Best Wishes,

Sue.