More flipping bother!

I didn't get it at all... One minute my two feets are telling me how great it is to have me in their life and then POW, I'm kidnapped by a mad Scotsman and driven post haste to a place called Doncaster where there's not a hill or sheep in sight! What the heck was going on???

Happy with his pig

Things started to make a load of sense when I recalled Si and Liz talking about, "when we go on holiday, how will Gyp know we're coming back for him?" You see, they don't think I speak much more than "sit and stay" in human but they'd be right surprised if they knew the truth... And if they sussed out that I sit up at night writing blogs on Si's computer they'd be truly gobsmacked!!!

Anyway, the mad Scotsman was Lizzie's dad Ray and he's a very nice guy. Problem is, he doesn't sound like Si and has a crazy accent I couldn't understand when he took me for the first walk in a local park. I guess he was telling me to stay or go down when I headed towards a road after being spooked by two rough town dogs but I didn't cotton to that and kept running. Straight into a car coming down the road as it turned out...

BANG!!! I felt an enormous impact and went rolling over and over. Then when I got up, everything was blurred and I felt pain in my legs so in a panic I put my head down and bolted...

The Gyp care manual

I ran and ran until the pain took over and when I took stock, there was no one around and I had no idea where I was. In desperation I crawled over to a scruffy but sheltered collection of dustbins and started to survey the damage to my legs. It wasn't a pretty sight and I huddled up miserably in a ball and started to literally lick my wounds...

Meanwhile, the area I was in started to get busier. I was in a supermarket car park and it had just opened. I watched with glazed and scared eyes while people walked past, most not noticing me but the occasional person making eye contact and then quickly looking away. I felt utterly abandoned and alone – an empty and despondent feeling I wouldn't want any fellow animal to experience.

And then suddenly, a kind voice, a gentle touch and someone was by my side talking softly and calming me down. This amazing lady stayed with me after calling for help and then after some time had passed, a man with an English voice who couldn't have been Ray came onto the scene to see what more could be done. Seems like the assistance the caring lady had summoned wasn't forthcoming and this fantastic man took control quickly to get me to help as I was now shivering uncontrollably and probably in shock. I was very gently picked up and put into the familiar environment of a car which sped me to more familiar territory – a vets!

Meanwhile, Si was touching down at a French airport in what he calls a 'holiday mood'. Ha! I was soon going to alter that...

When Si switched his mobile thingy on in the arrivals hall, it rang immediately. Si tells me all he heard was, "we have your dog, he's been run over..."

Not happy about the bucket...

Apparently there followed half an hour of panic fuelled by the uncertainty of whether I was going to survive or not. Si said he went hairless which confused me 'cos he's as bald as a bandicoot! Anyway, the good people at the emergency vets checked me nose to tail and concluded that apart from a damaged leg, the rest of me seemed good to go.

The upshot was, Ray still didn't know where I was and was having the most awful time flying around looking for me, not knowing if I was dead or alive. Luckily, Si rang him straight from the airport and reassured him that I'd been found and was in safe hands. A few hours later when it was confirmed my leg WASN'T broken, the collective two feets started relaxing and Si and Lizzie started getting on with their holiday knowing I was comfortable and secure.

As for me, I was immediately incarcerated back at Ray and Lizzie's mother Christine's house – no way they were taking any more chances with me! To be fair, I'd had enough of the outside world around Doncaster for a while so I accepted the enforced rest and waited for Si to return. The grandfolk looked after me really well and I put on a kilo in weight which is no bad thing they said.

Me and Larry having a moment

When Si and Liz got back I went berserk and jumped all over them to make sure the buggers weren't going to leave me again! They drove me back to the small Marsden farmhouse with the titchy field that I love and on the way in to the village I saw the sheep and the hills which Si said I'd soon be running in again...

Si has been in touch with Christine and Richard who were so kind to me when I needed a friend to update and to thank them. They'll always be friends and there's definitely a lick headed their way when I see them again.

Ray and Christine (yes there are two in this story) are worried they'll never be able to look after me again but Si says that as long as Ray learns English and we pass on some whistle commands, I can go back there again. They'll also get a second amended copy of the Gyp Haynes Manual (see picture) with special care instructions. Don't think I've got the best impression of Doncaster so I'm looking forward to seeing a better side next time!

A variety of coloured dressings, pills and ointments were applied by the excellent Steve and Rene at Ashfield Vets in Meltham – hehe, it's my second home and Emily always gives me a biscuit! Now, the bandages are off but I can't go full throttle for a couple of weeks yet despite things healing well. Si's just told me I'm heading down to the vets tonight to have the itchy stitches out – that's cool because my girlfriend Meg Collie works there as meeter and greeter...

Back on the hill again!

Back at work now and doing short runs on the hills again but a bit out of sorts with folk. If you come to see me you'll have to forgive the growling and barking while I suss you out. And if you start talking at me with that mad Scottish accent I'll bite you on the bum!