Saturday 11 June 2016

An eventful doggy walk.

My friends, Barry and Linda and I meet up every week to walk our dogs and have lunch out somewhere.  On Thursday we decided to go to Respryn and walk in the grounds of Lanhydrock where the shade of the trees would be a reprieve from the hot sun; my dog Zac, and their Red Setter, Rua, were not comfortable when it was hot weather. Goldie, their other dog couldn't care less about the heat!
I got there a little early in order to take some photos; this is Respryn Bridge which dates from the 13th century.
The bridge spans the River Fowey (pronounced Foy) which at this time of year is running very low - note the exposed  river bed on the right. 

When I turned to photograph the opposite side of the bridge, I was surprised to see a heron, totally engrossed in looking into the water for his next meal. Apologies for the fuzzy photo; I zoomed in on him but didn't focus properly in my haste, expecting him to fly off at any minute.

 Slightly better, but at least you can see the heron quite clearly.

 I wonder if he'd read this sign!

 Another surprising thing to find, on the handrail of a footbridge, was this dragonfly which had just emerged from its nymph stage and I was able to snatch a photograph while it waited for its wings to dry off, enabling it to fly away.

There were lots of rhododendrons in flower; this one was at the entrance to the car park.

We began our walk along Station Drive, the ornamental carriageway created by the Robartes family, linking the nearby railway station to Lanhydrock House. 

 But soon we turned off the carriageway to enter the woods that border the River Fowey; there are Kingfishers and Otters in there, but with 3 dogs in attendance, we really didn't expect to see them!






But then, as we headed back towards the car park, it happened - as Zac was ambling across a plank bridge which spanned a deep ditch, Rua came running up from behind, leaped across the bridge accidentally knocking Zac sideways and down into the ditch. I think we all screamed!  Zac is an old dog and he has arthritis and weakness in his hindquarters; we all rushed to look down into the ditch to see him sitting, looking quite dazed at the bottom of the ditch. 
My friend Barry, the only one of us without knee problems, climbed down into the ditch and helped Zac to his feet.  After making sure he wasn't injured, he managed to lift him high enough for myself and Linda to pull him up out of the ditch.

Zac found comfort in the coolness of the river . . .


On the final stretch to the car park, he was slow and a bit wobbly but managed to get back without any further mishap.

 I'm very pleased to say that after his dinner and a good night's sound sleep, he suffered no ill effects from the incident. 
Phew!!! 
I didn't walk him on Friday, but today (Saturday) we went up on Bodmin Moor and enjoyed an hour's ramble up there, before coming home for dinner and lots more sleep! 







14 comments:

  1. Oh poor Zac. Hope he hasnt suffered from his fall.
    Lanhydrock is so lovely. I used to take groups of schoolchildren there.

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    1. I love the house and grounds, especially the Lady's Walk, but with the 3 dogs we tend to stick to the Respryn circular walk along by the river.

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  2. What a lovely post Rosie - I loved all the river pictures, the sort of surroundings that I love. That photo of the dragonfly and it's larva casing is amazing. Well spotted. Poor old Zac, a bit of a shock for him, but at least he survived with no injuries. Great to see the heron photo, well the second attempt anyway :) You have to be quick on the trigger when trying to take photos of birds, pesky things don't stay still for long.

    Looks like a lovely area to take a stroll.

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    1. It's lovely to walk by the river; it's so restful and beautiful - and handy for the dogs to cool off. I was so lucky to be in the right place at the right time for the dragonfly photo.

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  3. Excellent pics Rosie. I could just take my shoes off and go for a plodge in that water :)

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    1. I reckon your feet would ache, Jan, it's flippin' freezing!
      Do you remember telling me that I should write a blog? Well, I have just completed my first year with this one, so my thanks to you for setting me on this track and I hope you enjoy all of it.

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  4. You and your friends surely picked a beautiful area for your walk, never expecting it to be an adventure walk.
    The heron is so beautiful; every so often I see one by the lake in Central Park, and always stop to watch the fishing.
    Amazing to have spotted the dragonfly. I like your photo so much.
    Great to have Zac rescued from the deep ditch. Bet he enjoyed his swim. I'm glad that he seems okay after some resting.

    xo

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    1. I would have preferred the walk without the adventure, Frances, but thankfully Zac is suffering no after-effects. I was so lucky to have the chance of photographing that dragonfly at that precise moment and I wasn't expecting the heron to be there, either.

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  5. Yes, I've been in the Stables several times for lunch and I've toured the House (without the dogs!) but tend to stick to the wilder and more open spaces when the dogs are with me.

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  6. A lovely walk until the incident at the end. Glad you had some help to rescue Zac and that he is OK.

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    1. I'm so glad I wasn't alone, Amy; I don't know how I would have got him out. But - all's well that ends well.

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  8. Poor Zac it must have been quite a shock for you all. I'm glad Zac was ok. It looks a beautiful walk, my Granny used to live in Fowey we never explored much of the surrounding countryside when we used to visit her. Sarah x

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    1. I love the area around Fowey - Daphne du Maurier country! It's a pity you weren't able to explore; there are some beautiful walks and it's always interesting to see the places that du Maurier mentions in her books.

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