dogs

Things to Worry about Walking your Dog

~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment
  • Is it too hot to go out for a walk?
  • How much shade can we find on the way to the park?
  • Is the water in the pond/stream/puddle dirty?
  • Now that it’s cool enough to go out, won’t there be increased danger of sandflies?
  • Will there be petardos on the street as we pass?

Today was very hot and as I didn’t get up till 11am the sun was too strong for the first walk to be comfortable.
There was shade but even just crossing the open spaces in the park made Bonnie pant.
Many of the water fountains aren’t working – a money saving decision perhaps? So it is tempting to use the ponds but who knows what that water is like. The Congost is definitely polluted from the factories so I try to keep Bonnie out of there.
It got cooler around 8pm. Sunrise and sunset are supposed to be the worse time for sandflies. These are little biting insects which can carry the dreaded leichmaniosis.
Duna wears a Scalibor collar, Bonnie is part protected by Advantix and neither of them have had the vaccine because every time I read about it I see so many concerns about side-effects. The decision is still in the balance.
It is Saturday night and as the celebration of Sant Joan approaches  there are more and more petardos going off in the streets. These are sort of bangers – some large and some small. It is best to avoid small groups of young boys at this time of year. At times this evening it felt like a war zone with gunshots all around – but they are only fireworks and Bonnie actually ignored them most of the time.
We survived the walk.
There were swallows and swifts and bats all flying around together as we turned for home.
The frogs were croaking loudly by the river and the banger boys had gone home to prepare for a night out.

Sant Pol De Mar

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

Bonnie came alone with us to the beach at Sant Pol on Friday.  Duna was in disgrace after an early morning brawl and stayed at home.  Decisions like this are hard but it was so much more relaxing without having to deal with stressed up dogs

The water is still cool – even for me!  The cormorants were both there on the rocks.
Funny to think that when I first went there I was embarrassed to take off all my clothes – it feels totally natural now and the people there are almost always really nice. On this particular day it seemed that each small group had taken along a fair skinned person  so I didn’t feel peculiar.
National ‘Take a White Person to the Beach’ Day!
Dogs welcome too!  You were looking at the dog weren’t you?

Fountains for Dogs

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

There are always lots of drinking fountains around towns in Catalunya.
For a while earlier this year the water was switched off in Granollers and we were thinking it was a money saving decision but now everything is back to normal.
I use them mostly for the dogs and in emergencies when I haven’t taken enough in my bottle.
Almost all the squares have one and walking along the river side you pass several.
It’s one of those things you just don’t see in the UK.

We found this one near the railway line in Granollers – it seems to be specially designed for dogs. The water drains away down the open channel which is good for tongues at all levels.
Duna is good at drinking from any design of fountain but this one was especially easy.

A sensible dog

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

Blue on the beach today at Caldetes.
She had a little swim then settled down in the shade to sleep. As if she’d been doing it all her life.

Bonnie on the other hand……… chased things into the water, dug holes all around our spot on the sand, barked at anyone who smiled at her when passing (well they were all completely naked and she was shocked) and got so hot and bothered than no amount of water would quench her thirst.
Duna had her own umbrella and as usual sat quietly except when she dragged the whole thing behind her in an attempt to get at Bonnie.
I swam
Pep had a dip.
We had lunch in the beach cafe and at last all three dogs were quiet and orderly as they waited for sardine heads to descend from the table.
The waitress warned us that if the police came they would give an instant fine of 100 euros per dog. We’ve never had a problem in the past and noone seems to mind their presence.
But perhaps taking 3 is pushing our luck.

GR92 near Orrius

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

Yesterday Bonnie and I met Oreneta and Chuck for a walk along part of the GR92. This is the Catalan name for a long walking trail that goes from the Pyrenees to the south of Catalunya.  It stretches further south into Andalucia and north into France but the Catalan part was so named to mark its completion in 1992 the year of the Barcelona Olympics.
It was a perfect walking day, sunny but not too hot, and we were mainly going along a very well maintained rough track on the top of the ridge. The mountains here are called The Corredor  – on one side is the Valles Oriental and Granollers and on the other, The Maresma and the Mediterranean Sea.
We met at Sant Bartomeu chapel. I didn’t know who this saint was but it seems he was also one of the apostles. When first he heard of Jesus he said  ” Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

We walked to the mineral spring the Font of Sant Mateu. He was the disciple that was a tax collector of whom Jesus said “I came not to call the righteous but the sinners”. Interesting!
Isn’t it amazing that here the rivers are either low or barely more than a dribble but all around the mountains there are fresh supplies of wonderful clear drinking water?

There and back was about 14 km and of course there were little breaks for snacks!
Who can resist these two beautiful friends?  Chuck was a perfect gentleman and chased off cars and wild dogs to protect Bonnie who was incredibly happy share her sandwiches with him.