We mentioned before that we
live a few metres from the Pacific Ocean, just across from the sea walk
overlooking Juan de Fuca Strait and the Olympic mountain range. Our neighbourhood is the quaint district of
James Bay here in Victoria, BC. The area is one of the most popular spots for
walking and dog walking.
People can be seen of all ages and sizes. (The seniors’ residence, Somerset House, is
nearby.)
Two seniors in the winter of their lives stroll along at their own rhythm on this sunny summer day
A lone member of the Human Family bravely moves step-by-step, assisted by two skipoles
There are many young mothers
pushing their infants in strollers, and joggers of course too. Being summertime, most of the Human Family wear light-coloured and
lightweight outfits. Also we’ve noticed lately floppy, broad-brimmed hats for
women are back in vogue now, for protection from the sun’s rays. Back to dog
walking.
Two lassies with baby stroller and 4 purebred dogs, on their daily walk
There’s an amazing variety of breeds, also all ages and sizes. In one month
you’ll see Dalmatians, Poodles (black, white and ‘champagne’), Huskies, slender Greyhounds, Irish Setters, many types
of Terriers including Jack Russells, Bloodhounds, Labradors, Rottweilers, the rare Borzoi, Golden Retrievers, Boxers, Pugs,
Bulldogs, Schnauzers, Border collies, lots of Shih Tzu, Dachunds – and of
course the majority are an assortment of mutts – all loved by their owners, who
at the same time, get their exercise.
A happy pooch on the seawalk
While sitting at a bench
towards the end of our morning walk a woman came by with a young German
Shepherd. This brought back vivid memories of my boyhood in the Lowlands, 77
years ago before the start of WWII. We had a wonderful German Shepherd, “Tarzan”.
My father, who was a diamond-facetter, in his spare time enjoyed
training dogs and sometimes volunteered to help the local village police with
their training (mostly German Shepherds). The regular training exercise was to
have a volunteer pretend to be a thief or criminal. He wore protective clothing
such as a thick, felt sleeve on his chest, arms and had special gloves.
German Shepherd in training exercise
After a signal was given
to the dog, the volunteer raised his (well padded) arm. The dog had to bring
down the culprit. A successful outcome
for the dog resulted in a friendly pat on the head and a treat. This type of
training is still done today. Father had a knack for testing the ‘mettle’ of
dogs that were being considered for training. The method was simple: leave the dog in a living room where another volunteer
had been told to put a small object in his pocket. A well-trained dog like Tarzan would pretend to be asleep.
He was very good at this part of the exercise! But the moment the
volunteer put his hand on the doorknob, the dog reacted quickly, leapt up and
prevented him from leaving. Numerous dogs failed this test and were
disqualified for police dog duty. Interesting how a fleeting encounter with a German Shepherd this morning can bring
forth memories of long ago.
Henri posing with Wild Sweet Peas at shoreline, seawalk, James Bay, Victoria
Henri van Bentum
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