28/03/2023
10 years ago today I found a dog...
This is the story of Bert. A dog just like countless others, yet, extraordinary.
On the first night of my Easter holidays, April 28th, 2013, 1 decided to go back home and visit friends in Scotland's most vibrant city Glasgow. Driving home around midnight, out of the corner of my eye and through the darkness of the night, my car's full beam lights caught a glimpse of a dog wandering onto the motorway from the upcoming slip road. From that moment, that brief look, my world became a much brighter place.
He was a braw' looking dog; handsome, muscular, and beautifully made with a great disposition. His head was broad, his paws huge, but he was skin and bones. His nose was cut from scavenging in bins, and ribs clearly showed through his matted golden fur coat. I thought he was an old soul - his face thin, his eyes tired. He was living an utterly self-reliant lifestyle. Roaming at large and accustomed to independence to survive. However what I remember most about his appearance that night was his ear to-ear smile, with front teeth like miniature stepping stones causeway. He had not been living a 'dog's life' and was glad to be found.
Dogs take their lives as they find them, but they live it best with the purpose of pleasing others.
However, he was a streetwise puppy and wouldn't allow me to coax him into my car away from potential danger. So, off came my belt, placed loosely around his neck, and we walked, slowly plodding, until we got somewhere safe to stay the night. A friend was refurbishing a flat nearby and let us stay the evening. On the walk back, we were stopped by a taxi driver - "That's the dog that's been dodging traffic all night."
How quickly he adopted an admiring and trusting approach. Despite his apparent initial defiance and reluctance, he was willing to abandon his most primal instincts and trust my guidance up with his with you. without question. The poor outcast of society blinked brown, soulful eyes, pleading as if to say, 'take me with you'.
I did not save him that night. I did what any humane and decent person would do when witnessing an animal in need and living in hopeless misery. Animals have a unique way of pulling of Saint our heartstrings. Even Napoleon, in The Memorial Helena, tells of walking through a field of the dead after a battle when he witnessed a dog loyally beside its master's body. Observing the canine licking the dead man's face, he stated, 'No incident, on any of my battlefields, ever produced so deep an impression on me'.
That first night, I took photos of the lost dog curiously searching the hallways. They were dark and grainy but showed his nose cut and long-drawn face. I look at these photographs despite the poor quality, I cherish them as it demonstrates how now, and much he flourished from that day forward.
It was late in a tiny Scottish village far from civilisation - the kind of place where no shops are open past sunset. I had no dog food, but the starving, stray dog happily gulped down what was in the cupboard - baked beans. The following morning let's just say the old children's rhyme was correct. He was not house-trained, and the baked beans must have had too much fibre!
This prompted our lifelong morning routine. "Want to go for a walk?" Did I have a lead? No. However, being a Physical Education teacher, we always have random equipment in the boot of our cars, and I found an old cotton skipping rope. That will do, and we went for a walk around the local village. Let's explore.
He was happy. I was happy. From day one, that boy had my heartstrings. So much of life is complicated and convoluted, but this was simple and pure.
I contacted the police to leave information and went to the closest vet to check for a microchip. Both were unsuccessful. However, on our walk, we got some clues when we met locals who knew him - "that's the dog who's been stealing the rolls from the bakery".
Every dog needs a name to be called when out for walkies. Finding a name that suits a dog's appearance is vital. I envisaged myself having to recall him back, regaining control in a busy park in the presence of well-behaved dogs on proper leads. Funny dog names are not so amusing when desperately shouting a dog's name, embarrassed or stressed, and being blatantly ignored. It should be short and sharp. Syllables kept to a minimum and sound reasonable in every situation. He already had an ancient soul, so I chose a name fitting for an old Scottish gentleman - Bert.
