M y four-legged son Charlie has a friend. He comes over every day and plays with him. I do not know his name, but I always call him Jean-Paul. He is very gentle and at first he was really scared of me, but now we are in very good terms.
The relationship between Charlie and Jean-Paul is beautiful. When Charlie goes out first thing in the morning he climbs onto our table in the garden and looks out for Jean-Paul, he waits for him! When Jean-Paul turns up he runs up to him and they start licking each others face for at least a couple of minutes. Once the “kissing” is over they run in the fields, jump in the high grass and have fun! When Charlie decides to be naughty Jean-Paul always helps him to get into trouble!
He spends most of the day here; when it’s hot they are both under the dining table in the kitchen, when it’s raining they both play in the mud and get really dirty, when it’s cold they both sleep next to the car. It is a beautiful relationship and I am happy to watch them together while wishing the humans were just the same.
I wish I could take them both with me in my car to the river and watch them play in the water. That would really be wonderful. I wanted to go and talk to the owners and ask them if they would let me take Jean-Paul with us, but today I changed my mind.
Charlie and Jean-Paul were playing in the garden when Jean-Paul’s owner was driving down the road. He stopped by our driveway and started shouting something nasty in French! I thought maybe they were being naughty or something, so I came out and thought I’d take this opportunity to talk to the owner as well. So I was walking towards him and my pace was slowing down. The “owner” was shouting more and more aggressively to make Jean-Paul go home. He is only young dog and he wanted to stay and play. When the owner came near him he was all jumpy and with his tail down, bending his knees (do dogs have knees?) and lowering his head. The next thing that happened froze me on the spot. The owner kicked him. I couldn’t bear it anymore and I ran back to the house and burst into tears. I can not cope when someone is being cruel to animals!
I understood why Jean-Paul is always hungry and why he is really skinny. Normally when I am in the kitchen in the evening cooking dinner I see Jean-Paul come in and eat all Charlie’s left over food and it makes my heart hurt, so I feed him. I give him bread, pasta, rice, even salami. He is a very elegant dog and when I give him a bowl of food, once he’s finished the bowl is perfectly clean! In the meantime Charlie learned to share. Before he would get angry and jealous, but now I know that somehow he understands.
I can not accept that in the country like France there is this beautiful dog that walks around hungry! I love all the animals and all the dogs without an exception. I bet if he was a poodle he’d have croissants for breakfast!
I don’t know what to do. I don’t mind Jean-Paul being around our house, playing with Charlie and eating here, but my French is not good enough to go and talk. I would like to tell that man what I think about him and that no animal deserves that kind of treatment! He is a gentle and sweet dog, he’s never aggressive but he is scared most of the time. He got used to me but still fears my husband. I feel fearful, I don’t want Jean-Paul to get hurt; I want him to play all day long in our front garden and enjoy his doggie life, I want to take him swimming and I don’t want that idiot to touch him ever again. I fear that I can’t help.
3 comments:
I swear that man would have had a piece of my mind!!! Don't complain directly to the man maybe he could harm you. I know it's a small village where you are but maybe somewhere near there's a place like an animal shelter you could ask for help. I hate does kind of people...Feed the dog Carra, tell him you don't like what his owner does to him, let him come to your house...It's the best you can do for that dog. He knows you're a good person that is why he comes by your house.
The more time passes...the more I almost swear that you and I were separated at birth! We have this amazing sameness to our existence. Read my blog and you'll understand!
I'm so sad to hear about Jean-Paul. That truly breaks my heart. It is wonderful that you are caring for him. He is probably afraid of your husband because his owner is so mean to him and sometimes dogs (and humans!) generalize that fear.
It is a difficult situation but I know that given your kindness and compassion, you will give the dog love and care...and that is more than he currently has. It is also great to hear that Charlie is so compassionate too. Aren't dogs amazing?
Jean-Paul is here again today, and I love it. I made him some pasta for dinner and today he let me stroke him. He seemed to be enjoying it. I do relize one thing I am the foreigner here and I can not really complain, but I will make sure that Jean-Paul gets a dinner and a little affection everynight. I am afraid it's all I can do at this very moment, but the future will show maybe I will be able to do more!
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