A bridge too far

A couple of years ago this bridge was the cause of some personal trauma, when our previous recue dog Breeze, elderly, arthritic, and on a lead to stop her running, decided to follow younger German Shepherd Lesia, who, as in this photo, had jumped around the gate. Breeze pulled the lead from my hand, jumped, didn’t make it, and slid down the vertical bank into the brook. I crossed to call her to the less steep opposite bank. She tried to swim to me, bless her, but the lead snagged on an underwater branch, and she was getting nowhere. So in I went. Thanks to all the recent rain, the brook was waist deep, but I managed to free Breeze, haul her across the brook, and shove her up the muddy bank. My mobile phone was in my pocket and took 24 hours to recover. My nettle–stung hands took 36 hours to stop tingling, and my walking boots took a fortnight to dry. And after the rescue I had to go out again to walk Lesia in the dark, in driving rain, while Breeze lay on a warm fluffy towel being dried by my wife using a hair dryer.

[🐓 Patricia Fletcher]

I am so glad this tale had a happy ending! What we do for our dogs! But then they deserve it all, they are such great companions. Super shot, lovely light and shadows.