Life Among the Dog People of Paddington Rec, Volume IX The Dogshank Redemption Anthony Linick Copyright © 2017 Anthony Linick Introduction The same day that we returned after two months in California – having decided that we would not be moving back to the States at the beginning of our retirement – my wife Dorothy and I took our property off the market … and ordered a puppy. Fritz the Schnauzer arrived a few weeks later and by the end of June, 2003, we had entered that unique society of dog owners who people London’s Paddington Recreation Ground. The society in which we were now to take our place remains a unique one, an ever-changing kaleidoscope of dogs and their owners. The dogs represent most of the popular breeds and many of the mutt-like mixtures – and so do their accompanying humans, who come from diverse nationalities and from many walks of life: professionals and job seekers, young and old, family members and loners. They are united in their love of dogs, and on the central green of the park, on its walkways and at the café where they gather after exercising their animals, they often let this affection for dogs carry them into friendships that transcend park life and involve many of them in additional social activities. Fritz had been a member of the pack for about a year when I decided to keep a daily record of his antics and the folkways of the rest of the crew, human and canine. I have done so ever since. I reasoned that not only would this furnish us with an insight into the relationship of man and beast but that it would also provide a glimpse into London life. Such a life, we know, is full of struggles and tensions and these were certainly reflected in the chronicles that followed. I have tried to make this record a candid and accurate one. Has any dog ever received as much dedicated attention as my Fritz? Has any canine society ever received such scrutiny? We turn to the diaries of Samuel Pepys for insights into London life as it was experienced in the latter half of the 17th Century. No wonder some wag has called me The Pepys of Pups – for my project, with its analysis of London life as it was lived in the first two decades of the 21st Century, is now almost thirteen years old. I must thank all of those who provided photographs for this project, the staff and management of the Rec itself, and my sister-in-law, Naomi, who assisted in editing. Special thanks to “London Janet,” Daisy-Mae’s mom, for designing the cover of Volume IX, one that features Fritz, and for many of the aforementioned photos as well. I published the first four volumes of “Life Among The Dog People of Paddington Rec” in a traditional print format and these are all still available either directly from the publisher at Authorhouse.com or Authorhouse.co.uk or from Amazon.co.uk, from Amazon.com or from any of the other online booksellers. These include: Volume I: Strictly Come Barking, published in 2008 and covering the years 2004-2005. Volume II: Have I Got Dogs For You!, published in 2010 and covering the years 2005-2006. Volume III: DSI: Dog Scene Investigation, published in 2011 and covering the years 2006-2007. Volume IV: A Doggy Day in London Town, published in 2012 and covering the years 2007-2008. In 2013, with Volume V, however, I was able to switch to a new publication format, making Invasion of The Biscuit Snatchers (covering the years 2008-2009) available in e-book format, free for all who want to follow this story by going to my website: anthonylinick.com. Click here. Volume VI, My Dog’s Breakfast, covering the years 2009-2010, was published in 2014 and is available at anthonylinick.com. Click here. Volume VII, covering the years 2010-2011 is called The Great British Bark Off. It was published in 2015 and you will find it too on my website, anthonylinick.com. To download click here. Volume VIII, “And Your Little Dog, Too” published in 2016, covers the years 2011-2012. You will find it too on my website, anthonylinick.com. To download click here. The current effort, Volume IX, The Dogshank Redemption, echoes the famous film in highlighting the many attempts made to escape imprisonment by my dog Fritz, who was very successful in his efforts on a number of occasions. You will find it too on my website,anthonylinick.com . To download click here. The Dogshank Redemption Life Among The Dog People of Paddington Rec, Volume IX By Anthony Linick Chapter 1—June, 2012 Sparkie looks a bit guilty, doesn’t he? The Dogshank Redemption Saturday, June 2: We begin another year in Paddington Rec – and, though it is already June, we still have a cold and damp morning indeed. My Fritz the Schnauzer is nine years old and this is the beginning of a ninth year of investigation into the lives of the dogs of Maida Vale and, of course, those of their owners. One of these, Georgie, is having a lie-in (surely not needed because of her responsibilities in looking after my dog for five nights) – for I have just returned from four and a half days of walking on the Peddars Way in Norfolk and I am naturally a bit weary. I could have used a good night’s sleep last night but this was hard to come by since some of my neighbors, somewhere around the corner, were holding an all-night Queen’s Jubilee party with shouting and singing until 6:30 this morning. Fritz is also out of sorts because last night, during our late night walk, a loud noise spooked him and he tried to head for home at every opportunity. This same nervous timidity now manifests itself as we near the central footie pitch – Fritz shies away from the thudding ball as it strikes the fence and I have to put him on lead before we can make any progress on our way to the park’s central green. On the way he finally squats for an anticipated poo (he did no such thing last night) but part of this gift adheres to his bottom and I have to knock it off with an ice cream stick. It isn’t raining any longer but it is just as well that the green umbrella has been unfurled above the table in the café’s doggy compound – where we head next. I leave Fritz in the care of Peter and enter the café itself; here I encounter Ellen – whose charges, Jack the Jack Russell and Lucky the Corgi, I have just spotted. Karen’s Dudley, the Coton de Tulear, is being looked after by her mom, Pat, who is also here. And finally we have Renata, whose naughty Toy Poodle, Maxi, is dancing at his mommy’s feet ­­– in clear defiance of the the “no dogs inside” rule. I have to answer many questions about my recent holiday and this continues when I can take my cappuccino outside with me – where Dan and Davide have brought their Pug, Winnie, Matthew, his own version of this breed, Emilio, and Ofra have arrived with her Cavalier, Bailey. Bailey, who has forgotten the routine I have taught him for biscuit begging, has to fight off the attentions of Dudley, who either wants to play or, alternately, lick Bailey’s willy. Winnie, growing bored on Davide’s lap, suddenly leaps onto Dan’s and then launches herself at Daisy-Mae, the Shih-Tzu, who is seated innocently in Janet’s lap. Emilio knows that Daisy-Mae is only pretending innocence; he has been attacked by her so often that he begins a litany of warning barks over her mere presence in our midst. People are deciding which Jubilee weekend events to bother with – but they are obviously discouraged by the weather. Peter passes out our choices in this 1 The Dogshank Redemption afternoon’s racing activity – including the Epson Derby. (We are also part of a syndicate in tonight’s lottery draw.) Davide has some advice for Matthew, who, with Makiko, is heading for his native Sardinia tomorrow. Davide himself will be passing out pretzels on a long-haul flight to Sao Paolo tonight. Karen arrives to sweep up her Dudley and give him a fulsome cuddle, with lots of endearing baby talk. “You can see why she’ll never find a man,” her mother says waspishly – but several of us say that such behavior would not inhibit a dog-loving man and someone adds that any man whom Karen would find suitable would have to be a dog lover anyway. Thus order is restored among the dog people of Paddington Rec. Sunday, June 3: It is raining again. And there is a problem, as I discovered on my late night walk with Fritz: Auntie Georgie still has his raincoat! There is nothing for it but to brave the elements at our usual hour; almost immediately I can sense that this is not going to be one of those days when our journey from entrance to café (with its sheltering umbrella) will be a speedy one. Fritz begins by sampling the grass shoots at the head of the track and thereafter he takes against our usual route, perhaps fearing another encounter with exploding footballs, and reverses directions altogether. He does look behind a few times, just to see that I am following his lead, but it is clear that this is an assertion of independence: I am still being punished for my desertion.