CHAPTER TWO
Agios Niko/aos
Although the olive-picking days were exciting and fun, my life changed dramatically in another way.
A couple of days after we had started, and I would have been about 3 or 4 months old, instead of going straight home as usual we went somewhere I had never been before. David took me to a place in the town that was an open yard with 4 doors leading off it.
He unlocked one of the doors and led me inside. It was a small room with a bed, a cupboard and not much else. I had been wondering all day why David had brought along my blanket and now I found out why. He put it on the floor next to the wall opposite the bed and I realized we would be sleeping in this room that night. "OK", I thought, "David must trust me enough now not to make puddles inside any more!"
After a few minutes David patted me and said some reassuring words. He gave me a treat and left the room. I got the impression he had been telling me he would be back and I never doubted him. By this time I had come to trust David completely. I was with him all the time - he took me everywhere except when he went for food.
He was gone quite a long time and it was not that nice being left alone in a strange place but David had left the light on and I had my treat so I did not mind too much.
When he returned I saw David had brought all his stuff with him and I then understood that this was going to be our new home?
For several days I was emotionally quite confused. I was upset to begin with to have been taken away from the cats, especially my good buddy Garfield. I missed him for a long time. Although there were 3 resident cats at our new place, they were the ignorant members of the 'all-dogs-are-stupid-and- our-enemies' society! I tried a few times to get them to play with me but all they did was hiss, spit and then run up the nearest tree!
On the other hand I was ecstatic spending the whole time with David and sleeping inside at night. We were inseparable and it was quite obvious that he loved me deeply. We went on long walks whenever the weather was dry and he was not working. It was also the time I was given my second name: Lobo. I liked the name a lot and it was easy to hear when mixed with a lot of other words.
David took me to a new beach, 10 times the size of the one in Amoudara, and there was hardly ever a time when we did not have it all to ourselves. It was wonderful. It was here that I found what was to become my all-time favourite beach toy.
I think it was the second time we went when I was racing around as usual, stopping every now and then to dig or taste some new object. I suddenly spotted a bright orange ball in the distance. I sped over to it and skidded to a halt a meter or so from it. It smelt rather strange and I was suspicious at first. There had been no movement on my approach, however, so I deduced it was not a living thing. I cautiously moved nearer, sniffing all the time just in case I was wrong! Then I spotted a length of rope attached to the ball. Now, I have always loved playing with bits of string, shoe-laces, etc., but rope is the best. I can get a much better grip on rope and