Just got back from a traumatic outing with Jynx - she has had her first near death experience.

Training has not been going so well this week as Jynx seems to have reached her teens already and is behaving like a typical teenager and is ignoring us most of the time and chewing things the rest of the time. the garden is littered with various items that she has gotten out of the dustbin or stolen from the children, and these items have been chewed and mauled to varying degrees. Her recall has become very unreliable and if she sees a person or another dog out on a walk you have no chance of getting her back.

So I decided today after our previous success to take her out with me riding the bike to try and knacker her out so that she is too tired to be naughty.

All started well we make our way safely along the roads with her running on the pavement and me riding on the road, we slowed down for her to perform her ablutions and the continued on our way. I must mention at this point I am not the most confident bike rider so to get this far without falling off was, I felt, a major achievement so my confidence was staring to grow and I was also beginning to enjoy myself. We continued our outing Jynx also seemed to be enjoying herself and we met a few dogs which as she was on the lead did not cause too many problems.

Then it happened - Jynx for some reason suddenly decided to run in front of the bike and everything seemed to go in slow motion I saw her little body go under the front wheel and heard her yelping I had no alternative but to bale out the side door! Luckily (I think) there was a nice soft landing in a squashy pile of mud. So after a quick once over of Jynx to ensure that I hadn't ruptured anything important like her bladder, we got on our way again and I had to endure to knowing looks of many dog walkers as they cast their eyes over my muddied clothes.

So that was Jynx's near death experience and she survived with just a small graze to her abdomen, but my nerves have not yet recovered so I am now having a medicinal glass of wine in front of Ashes to Ashes and we will try again with the bike but it might be a few days before I can face it.