It's a Dog's Life: Natural World

Spring is in full swing, so Teddy and the apprentice, Bear, are enjoying the wonders of the natural world as Helen Stockton, his human translator explains

It’s the time of year when the natural world is arguably at its best. Spring is gradually giving way to summer, the countryside looks lush, and there are baby animals and birds in abundance.

As terriers, my apprentice, Bear, and I have a complex relationship with the natural world. We enjoy being in it, especially the apprentice who likes rooting around in the woods, tracking squirrels and pheasants. She hasn’t quite come to terms with the habit of squirrels for disappearing up trees when followed by an inquisitive small dog. It really isn’t playing fair, to be honest. And the first time she accidentally flushed a pheasant, with the associated alarm calls, wing clattering and bursting out of the undergrowth, she wisely retreated to ‘Her Indoors’, unsure of what she had inadvertently unleashed.

I just potter about, enjoying a leisurely sniff. I don’t go in for unseemly chasing and barking. ‘Her Indoors’ realised the force wasn’t strong in me when she was walking me through a car park, and two giant rats materialised in front of us. I just watched them with mild interest. Apparently, this is not the standard terrier response, but what can I tell you, I’m my own dog.

‘Her Indoors’ is fighting back against our designation as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world by encouraging wildlife in the garden. We have wildlife-friendly planting, flowers for pollinators, a small pond, a log pile, and bird and bat boxes.

Apparently, we should also have little doorways through our fences to let hedgehogs wander at will, but ‘Her Indoors’ reckons this would give the rabbits in the surrounding countryside easier access to our garden to feast on her tender annuals. She thought she had kept them out, and us in, with wire mesh on the bottom half of our ranch-style fencing but they just hop over. Still, we also get a fox who does likewise, so perhaps one balances the other out.

We’ve also had a badger on our drive a couple of times, and a tawny owl in one of our trees. This departed rather rapidly when Bear and I came out to do our nightly ablutions. ‘Her Indoors’ keeps us both on the lead for this final garden visit of the day, as she doesn’t want us disturbing the wildlife night shift. That’s fine by me as I just want to do my business and go to bed, but Bear is a bit more investigative….

Anyway, the swallows are back, the birds are singing, and the butterflies are fluttering, so if the weather Gods are beneficent, why not get out into your nearest green space, be at one with the natural world and enjoy it, we will!