Had to go up to Preston last week but because it was easter hols still, and the local kennels were full, Ruby and Wilf cocker had to come too which meant a 5-hour trip on the train from my house. Everyone I told sniggered and thought I was mad, I thought I was mad, but hey they did me proud. And I still can’t believe it, but I reckon a lot of that was down to a lot of the people I met on the journey there and back.
On the way out the train was full to bursting point, but the conductor waived us on and let us sit in her little cabin at the back while she had a look down the train to see if we could go in the disabled bit further down (more room) but the woman nearby there said she couldn’t have a dog near her child (not an allergy thing more a dog thing—such is life I guess). So we spent the rest of the time up in the conductors cabin bit while she showed me her doggie pix (3 rotties and a retriever) and cuddled Wilf in the drivers cabin at the back in between collecting tickets (from the back of the train looking down the track all you could see were two cockers sitting smugly at the back windows).
On the way back on a totally different route we sat next to a nun who fell in love with the dogs immediately. (Disabled seats if you can get them are great for travelling with dogs!) She was a lovely woman who told me the youngest in the elderly sisters house was in her 70s. Again she cuddled Wilf and Ruby and chatted about dogs and told me about the convent she lived in, which I’d asked her about. As the journey went on she began to nod off and then woke up with a bit of a start as Ruby had sneaked under the bottom of her habit (Ruby loves quiet warm dark places to sleep) and while I apologised to her waking up to a wet nose on her ankles she thankfully didn’t mind and told me to let her sleep there, which of course she did until we got off at Bristol.
Once in Cardiff I dreaded the next bit as it was rush hour and I had to get home from the centre of town by train again. But fear not the guard was a dog lover this time and made sure we weren’t crushed and then proceeded to tell me how he couldn’t live without his dogs—two terriers.
Its just great how sometimes some people restore your faith in human nature and how what could have been a complete disaster turned into such a pleasant eventful, in a nice way, journey.
