It is the most perfect of mornings here with the baking Saharan heat finally ebbing away - in the cool dawn air Wilf followed me down to the farm gate,stopping every so often to sniff the scented breeze and check for porcupines, while Digby looked on from the safety of the porch. After their 'exertions' the two of them are now asleep by the breakfast table, Digby resting his head on Wilfs back and each snoring softly. I've noticed in the last three months sleep has become an ever more important and enjoyable part of their schedule. Gone forever are the days of adolesence and early adulthood when everything with the boyz had to be done at double quick time .They have now settled contentedly into advanced middle age - after eight and a half years they know exactly what's expected of them and they know what to expect from me. It's rather a nice age for dogs and owners - they somehow become a natural part of the daily rythmn of the house and family, as real as the bricks and mortar that surround us or the natural routine of meal times. Perhaps most tellingly, their advancing age and acts as the gentlest of reminders that we too are maturing - can it really have been 2001 when I picked them up from the breeder in Derbyshire?
