Having woken up at 5am feeling like death (most probably due to the copious amounts of whisky Duncan put into my hot toddy last night) I went downstairs and made myself a snack. Duncan was getting up at 5.45 to go to work so I just curled up on the couch and tried to doze a bit for an hour. When I heard Duncan get up, I decided to get up too and go for an early morning run to see if that made me feel better. It should be long run day but I wasn't sure I was up to that due to feeling a bit ropey and having come down with a bit of a cold and a sore throat yesterday.
Duncan dropped Ruby and I off at the Tockholes Road and we ran along Witton Weavers Way towards Belmont. It's lovely running that early (6.30) as there's just nobody around and everything is so peaceful, just the sound of geese and other birds. Once into Belmont we ran along a public footpath which takes you to the path which runs along side of Rivington Road all the way to Hordern Stoops. I went slightly wrong though and another runner with two dogs up ahead asked if I was OK. I told him that I had gone wrong and he pointed out a stile I could cross. He was running with a Patterdale too, although his was taller than Ruby and with shorter smoother fur (Ruby is very wiry). He also had a Springer Spaniel. We started running and I told him to go on ahead as I'd slow him down but he said he was happy with the pace. We got chatting and he mentioned that he ran for Horwich so I asked his name. It was Ian Hamer! Not sure how I didn't recognise him, seeing as I have been to see him at the doctor's surgery, funny how different somebody can look in their running gear than in a smart suit.
He convinced me to let Ruby off the lead for a bit as there were no sheep between where we were and Hordern Stoops so I manned up and let her off. She had the time of her life! She was loving running along with her new buddies. I wanted to cry for how happy she was. I wish I could do it more often but she's really unpredictable and if she sees another dog in the distance she'll run off towards it and won't come back to call and then she usually picks a fight with the dog so the owners get annoyed with me. She's the same if she sees any other animal too and I could never let her off near sheep. I have trusted her a few times and let her off the lead, but every time (save for today) she has let me down. One time I let her off and she made a beeline for two Rotweiller's and bit one of them on the nose, much to the owner's annoyance. The bigger the dog, the more she attacks.
Once we got to Hordern Stoops we got the dogs on their leads and ran along the road a bit, to the end of Belmont Road. We then ran along Belmont Road to the Pigoen Tower and let the dogs off the leads again. Ruby was great! Maybe the answer is that I should just run with her really early when there are no other dogs out and about like today. Once we got near the the old toilet block by the Pike we did see some people walking a dog and Ruby did start to run towards it but I called her back and miraculously she listened! I was so proud!
We carried on along and passed Wilderswood, where Ian then turned off and ran up to Two Lads. I got Ruby back on her lead and we carried on and went down Old Rake and onto Brinks Row then back home.
I really hope this is the sign of things to come and that Ruby is finally starting to listen to me. When we were running home we saw another dog and she dragged towards it as usual but people keep telling me she will be worse on a lead than off. It's just that I'm too paranoid because of past incidences to let her off, especially when I'm on my own as I hate confrontation. I once let her off on the trail behind Rivington School and she chased after a squirrel and ran into the woods in the direction of the road. She wouldn't come back to call and I really panicked that she would run into the road and get knocked down. It really does shake your confidence with letting her off. Maybe I'll have to keep trying bit by bit and try to build up some trust.
Total distance - 8 miles
Week's total distance - 23 miles (rather pitiful really)
No comments:
Post a Comment