As it turns out it was a great catch-up, under the guise of dosing your dog to make sure they were healthy. Back in the 80s when blokes didn’t really talk, they managed to chin wag for three hours! But what did they talk about for so long, I wondered?
Well, now I know. They talked about anything and everything.
That’s what happens when dog owners get together. I’ve had so many lovely catch-ups lately with strangers.
One lady and I talked in Anderson Park for about an hour about our love for labs. My dog Isla is a black lab, and she had so much great advice for me.
Another recent connection really changed how I thought about things. We were at Park Island and Isla was just being a naughty teenager, chasing swallows and butterflies, pulling me along at a great rate of knots, and I was so frustrated!
A lady could see my frustration and she said don’t worry, she’ll calm down. She went on to tell me that she had a son like that when he was young.
She said it was the most challenged she’d ever been but he grew up to be awesome. Well, I almost gave her a hug and broke down in tears.
We have our own war going on at home that I don’t tell many people about and her honesty just made me feel so much better.
And then she said, ‘I can tell by talking to you that you are a great Mum and you’re doing the best you can. It will all work out’. She then departed with a friendly wave.
I departed with a few tears behind my sunglasses and thought thank goodness for dogs and the kindness of strangers.
