Notes to self

1. Trust your dog. He is a wise old man.
2. If you think your shoes are Gore-Tex, don't think. Know. Check for a label. If there isn't one, don't cross a stream in them.
3. House keys are pretty important. Tuck them deep into your pocket.
4. Enjoy the moment. But don't get so carried away you end up feeling like sh** for days.

Why? Because of what happened on Friday..

I decided that since Rekku missed agility practice on Wed (it rained all day, practice was cancelled) and had not been on a long of leash walk since Monday, we would go out for a nice walk in the woods. So we did. It all started so nicely, with Rekku of leash, running ahead, sniffing for rodents, getting muddy.. loving it. And Valtteri asleep on my back. My shoes, the ones I thought were gore-tex, got wet already on the second field we walked, but I did not mind. Rekku took off a few times in the forest, but I did not mind. It was a beautiful autumn day with loads of fresh air..

Then Valtteri woke up just as Rekku had disappeared into the bushes again (loads of interesting smells of rabbits, wild boar, deer etc.). We called for Rekku and he returned, and kept walking and admiring the forest. I explained to Valtteri about nature and wildlife and the four seasons.. and enjoyed every moment.

Then I noticed Rekku was limping a little. Not much, but I checked his paws right away anyway. Nothing. No cuts, holes, nothing sticking out. Just one tick on his beard (whom I returned back to the forest to look for someone else to suck blood from). So I wasn't too worried, and we continued our wandering in the forest. I thought since we are enjoying this so much, why not continue for a little bit more? I mean, the fresh air, the colours!

I did not notice - well, I noticed, but did not think anything of it - Rekku keeping an eye on us but continuously staying behind, trying to change course. When I finally registered (when he was really staring and trying to change direction back to where we came from), I took my phone out and checked the map. Yeah, not quite where I thought we would be at.. and the time: lunch time. Great. I immediately felt like an idiot. I would soon have a hungry, anxious toddler on my back and my wise old dog had been trying to tell me I was going the wrong way for the past fifteen minutes.. Geez.

So looking at the map, we needed to cross the stream and go across the field to hit the paved bicycle path that would lead us home. Only that it had been raining a lot lately and thus crossing the path was not the easiest thing.. but we got across with wet feet and climbed up the little hill to the field. Only to find it was fenced with an electric wire. And yes, there was electricity on. So no way to get through with Valtteri - not to say I wanted to since I was not sure whether it was cows or wild boar on that field. So, around we go.. If Rekku was human, he would so have started a "I told you so", but being dog, he simply carried on with us, nearly as saying "that's ok, we'll try another sport".

And we did try another spot. And another. (I can be stubborn to the brink of stupidity, no wonder I have a wire fox terrier..) Finally, nearly back to where we entered the forest, we started on a path that was cut down bush. Unfortunately it was bush with thorns. So, to pay for my stubbornness and getting carried away in the moment, I carried Rekku across the thorn covered field. Yes, that was 10kg on my back and 13kg on my arms. Excellent exercise! Unfortunately Rekku is not a lap dog and does not enjoy being carried, so he kept trying to stand on me. And this is how I think I lost my house keys, with his paws pushing on the key ring that was hanging outside of the trousers pocket. Of course, I did not know this at the time..

The whole rest of the way home, about a km, my heart ached as I looked back to Rekku limping behind us. I tried to cheer for him to keep going as I simply could not carry him all the way home, but I really felt like the world's worst dog owner. If only I had turned towards home the minute I noticed he was limping..

And when we finally reached home, I noticed I had no keys. I was so grateful to our upstairs neighbour who had some weeks earlier suggested that she could keep our spare key. And so glad she was home.

Fortunately Valtteri was a big sport, as if he understood when I explained Rekku was hurt and that we needed to help him before having lunch. And Rekku, well, being him, he took advantage of me feeling guilty and asked for extra treats, toys and TLC all he could.

Now, three days after our eventful morning, Rekku is doing better and no longer wants to be carried down the stairs (I did this to avoid pressure on the paw) and trots on walks, although still limping a little. Wed agility practice will be missed again, but time will tell if he will be well enough to compete in the unofficial competition we entered for on Sunday Nov 10th at Palexpo (Les Automnales fair).