Moderation is a fatal thing ...

It was really misty day on our beach!

Maggie and Ike ... the hounds belonging to my neighbour
and the extra hounds I took to the beach

Oscar Wilde once famously said “Moderation is a fatal thing.  Nothing succeeds like excess.” I wonder if he meant that in every aspect of our lives.  From a simplistic point of view, I love an excess of rugby .... an excess of wine .... an excess of coffee - YUM - ... and lets not get started on chocolate.  I know that walking excessively ... whilst tiring me out ... also puts me in a really good space ... nothing beats a few hours wading in the waves or walking up hill and down dale ... it’s excessive but I love it ... and so does my hound!

I'm not so sure though that she completely shares in Oscar Wilde's sentiment.  Whilst I would love an excess of dogs, she prefers to be the only one.  On several occasions we've had reason to look after Bella .... sometimes just for the day and occasionally overnight .... or temporarily house a canine runaway that we’ve found on the beach.  My fellow dog walkers and I try really hard NOT to give the local pound any new inmates or unnecessary funding!  Whilst she thoroughly enjoys the runaway’s company for a short period of time, she always seems overly enthusiastic when they’ve been repatriated with their human.

Haggis, the black Scottish Terrier, is fascinated by my hound
and her ball ... he won't leave her alone on the beach

Yesterday ... not only did we take 2 extra hounds to the beach with us but we also bought an extra hound home ... Marcus ... a gorgeous black Labrador ..... who was having a great time in the waves, sans human.  One of my fellow dog walkers managed to catch Marcus but, as he lives in an apartment, wasn’t able to take Marcus home whilst we tried to trace his owner ... so Marcus came home with me.

Marcus teasing her with one of her logs

Haha ... look at her face ... she's warning him not to take it!

I phoned the number on his tag and left a message ... Chocolat and Marcus meanwhile were sizing each other up in the garden.  He was bigger than her but younger .. looked like he was about 18 months ... and gorgeous!!  He chased logs around the garden, pinched her ball ... oh yes ... the SA one ... which doesn’t go down too well with her.  He would pick up a log and tease her to play with him ... she’d grab the log off him and when he came to try and take it back ... she’d growl!!!  Every log I gave him she took off him ...  and growled .... very low ... but very meaningful ..... I think she was trying to tell him .... and maybe me ..... something!

Apparently Marcus, delightful chap that he is, is very social and extremely good at undoing knots!  His human Sarah was on Waihiki Island for the day and had left firm instructions for her husband on fastening Marcus up outside .... instructions which he’d obviously paid little attention to.  I was going to say something about males in general here, not just male dogs, but best that I don’t.  Marcus, once said member of the male species had headed off to work,  unknotted his rope and trotted off to the beach on his lonesome ... pleased as punch with himself .... clever hound!

I’m seeing a picture here in the way my hound behaves when other canines inhabit her territory though .... the  message I’m getting, loud and clear, is that she’d rather be an “ONLY” hound ... she doesn’t want to share my affections and time with any other hound and I don’t blame her.  In me she has more than enough human ... a fun-loving, insane, snap-happy nature rambler .... in her I have more than enough DOG ... an excess of love, loyalty and humour .... I wouldn’t swop that for the world!