Chapter 6
6
When we arrived back at the farm, it was as if I was seeing it through a new set of eyes as we drove into the courtyard and arrived at a set of six-foot gates. We both parked up and negotiated our way around some clucking chickens and a very noisy but friendly cockerel who didn’t seem to realise that he was only supposed to cock-a-doodle-doo in the morning, as he seemed to cock-a-doodle-doo all day long. Uncle Tom always said he was just protecting his ladies like a true gentleman should.
A huge brass bell hung on the wall of the barn to the right of the gates. I gave it a tug and it rang and echoed around the courtyard for what seemed like ages. Alice and I laughed at how loud it was and how it seemed to set off the dogs barking in a chain. I heard the noise of a bolt sliding across and another gate shutting, before Uncle Tom appeared and invited us through to reception.
He bent down and tickled Baxter behind the ears, and Baxter licked his face. Uncle Tom never batted an eyelid. He was used to all sorts of dogs and loved them more than humans, I always felt. There were always dogs running around on the farm in the summer when we were kids, and curled up on their beds beside the fireplace in the winter.
‘And you’ – he stood and turned – ‘must be Alice. Good afternoon and welcome to Growlers at the Grange. Come through, come through.’ He led us through the back of reception out to the stable block, with Baxter trotting happily alongside us.
Alice nodded and smiled at me, and I could see that she was really happy with what she was seeing.
‘The dogs are all off lead from here, and it’s totally secure, and they can run around to their hearts’ content.’ He guided Alice through to the fenced paddock and explained about the activity centre that was set up.
‘We spend lots of time in here and the dogs love it, and it helps to tire them out both mentally and physically. My daughter Beth, who the business belongs to really, would rather spend her time out here playing with the dogs than doing the paperwork side, so that’s my domain really. And Maddy here is going to be helping out, as much as we can persuade her to, while Beth is recovering from an operation. So what do you think, Alice? Do you think Baxter will be OK with us?’
‘Oh, Tom,’ she said with tears in her eyes. ‘It breaks my heart to leave him behind, but my sister has been in Australia for over twenty years and I’ve not seen her in person for all that time, and she’s paid for me to go over to see her. I thought I was going to have to cancel, but luckily for me, I met this young lady.’ She smiled and touched my arm tenderly. ‘I really do think some things are meant to be. If I hadn’t met Madison and had that conversation with her, I might have cancelled my trip. I feel a million times better knowing that he’ll be coming to such a wonderful place, with such lovely, caring people.’
‘Well, we’re so pleased to be able to help. And I promise you that we’ll look after him. He looks like he’s taken a shine to Maddy already! Look at him, he won’t leave her side. I think she’s becoming quite fond of him too.’
Alice smiled at me as I was kneeling down rubbing his ears and he was leaning into me.
‘I don’t think he’ll have any problems here, Alice. Let’s go and sort all the paperwork side out and we might even be able to persuade Maddy to make us a cuppa.’ He winked at her and they all turned round as Baxter started to bark, circled round three times, squatted and did a huge poo. Uncle Tom laughed as he pulled a poo bag from out of his coat pocket and picked it up, while I turned up my nose and asked myself again why I’d decided to help out at a doggy daycare and wondered how much of my day would consist of picking up crap. Although, I pondered, maybe that was not so different to my old job – just a different type of crap.
But then Baxter made me giggle when he came and stuck his nose right in my face. Alice apologised and said he had no concept of personal space and was just an ‘in your face’ type of dog. I ruffled the fur on his head and when I looked at Alice, who was watching how I reacted to her furry friend, she smiled at me. I knew we were able to help her at what was, to her, a really hard time, and I thought that there were definitely worse jobs in the world. Time to put the kettle on. Again.