Whilst still living at home my son Jason bought himself a dog, a Doberman pup he named Zack. Zack was cute and loveable with huge paws that he eventually grew into. Not long after acquiring his pup, Jason’s work was relocated to Albury where he rented a unit that didn’t allow for dogs. For a time Zack became my responsibility and we became mates.
Well, I had a nice garden and worked hard to keep it that way. I soon found that this was to be a real challenge. Zack grew rapidly and had little respect for garden beds. His huge paws caused havoc as he ploughed through my precious plants. In spite of that, we became good friends and enjoyed many walks around the lake. I even took him along to obedience classes, no easy task.
To be sure, Zack loved company and hated being left alone for very long. This became painfully obvious whenever I left him to do my grocery shopping. The first time it happened I was to come home to find the destruction of my stock of toilet rolls. After that it was outside with him, but that didn’t stop him. Whenever I left him for too long I would come home to find him sitting waiting for me with a doleful expression. A quick glance around discovered my recently purchased water lily out of the pond, in the middle of the lawn, the pot beside it. This happened on more than one occasion.
Then one day I purchased a special plant from the Market. On returning home Zack met me at the side gate, happily plodding along beside me and watching as I carefully placed the pot in a ‘safe’ place until I was ready to plant it. I then picked up the water lily from the lawn and placed it in the fish pond, reprimanding him severely once again. I was amazed that the tough little water lily actually survived.
The final straw and the thing that really tested the friendship was that, on returning home after my weekly grocery shopping, I found Zack sitting by the back door, head on one side, looking up at me with those sad eyes. I immediately went to the pond, but eureka! The lily was still in the pond. I was about to give him a rewarding pat when, lo and behold, there on the path was my precious plant, completely out of the pot. I was livid.
Zack survived, but needless to say our friendship was hanging by a very thin thread. Fortunately, before that friendship was completely severed, Jason reclaimed him. My garden thrived once more, as did my mateship with Zack. Oh, and the water lily has also survived to this day and has rewarded me with many a bloom. But sadly, Zack has since passed on.
Betty Milligan,
March 2018
Well, I had a nice garden and worked hard to keep it that way. I soon found that this was to be a real challenge. Zack grew rapidly and had little respect for garden beds. His huge paws caused havoc as he ploughed through my precious plants. In spite of that, we became good friends and enjoyed many walks around the lake. I even took him along to obedience classes, no easy task.
To be sure, Zack loved company and hated being left alone for very long. This became painfully obvious whenever I left him to do my grocery shopping. The first time it happened I was to come home to find the destruction of my stock of toilet rolls. After that it was outside with him, but that didn’t stop him. Whenever I left him for too long I would come home to find him sitting waiting for me with a doleful expression. A quick glance around discovered my recently purchased water lily out of the pond, in the middle of the lawn, the pot beside it. This happened on more than one occasion.
Then one day I purchased a special plant from the Market. On returning home Zack met me at the side gate, happily plodding along beside me and watching as I carefully placed the pot in a ‘safe’ place until I was ready to plant it. I then picked up the water lily from the lawn and placed it in the fish pond, reprimanding him severely once again. I was amazed that the tough little water lily actually survived.
The final straw and the thing that really tested the friendship was that, on returning home after my weekly grocery shopping, I found Zack sitting by the back door, head on one side, looking up at me with those sad eyes. I immediately went to the pond, but eureka! The lily was still in the pond. I was about to give him a rewarding pat when, lo and behold, there on the path was my precious plant, completely out of the pot. I was livid.
Zack survived, but needless to say our friendship was hanging by a very thin thread. Fortunately, before that friendship was completely severed, Jason reclaimed him. My garden thrived once more, as did my mateship with Zack. Oh, and the water lily has also survived to this day and has rewarded me with many a bloom. But sadly, Zack has since passed on.
Betty Milligan,
March 2018
