Lazy January is a call to change

Resolved not to resolve

I stopped making New Year’s Resolutions quite a while ago, not out of the lack of discipline to stick to a resolution but for the fact that the self-flagellation that follows any such decision is more brutal and guilt-ridden than necessary.

Whilst times, dates, and seasons offer much to reflect on and deliberate with some self-awareness of the lacking and the possible, any day can be chosen to resolve to do anything without becoming a hostage to fortune.

For instance, some people have attached themselves to the Dry January campaign, the resolve to keep the month alcohol-free until I saw some making exceptions for one thing or the other, and soon, the dry had become wetter than a fish in water. Exceptions and adjustments matter in terms of the inadvertent or the unexpected, the ability to accommodate variance makes for a better-rounded personality.

Stepping off the steps

However, it was when I checked my Huawei Health app to see if I was doing something as regularly as I had somewhat thought of doing but in the review was hardly even getting anywhere that I realised I have had a Lazy January. I had only exceeded 10,000 steps twice in the month, I could not bear to step on the weighing scales to see the numbers and I have gained a bit more to the circumference of my midriff as my belt would appear to suggest.

This is not what I expected as I had reached my lowest weight in over a decade just some 4 months ago. I have to do better, as my resting heart rate has increased and my blood pressure is reading numbers I have not seen in a while. Just some exercise should fix that.

My maternity issues again

The other cause for concern is anaemia because of Vitamin B12 and folate deficiency (Yes, we all need folic acid, not just pregnant women.), this is something that appeared in the bloodwork from about 5 years ago. Not enough of it is getting in from my diet and the risk of peripheral neuropathy with its otherworldly feel is so strange. The feeling of intense pain at the back of the hand with numbness in the phalanges, and yet you can move your fingers with all dexterity, I might just give my doctor a call for injections instead.

One thing I have meditated about and quite resolved to do is to get back to walking again. Any dog that dares to approach me I will rebuke in the name of Jesus, I have no time for being nice to dogs out of control. Those who as I saw this morning seem to think their XL Bully dogs do not need to be on a leash and muzzled as the law requires are soon to have a tragedy of many proportions.

Let’s get to being fitter and healthier, for no other reason than it gladdens the heart, and you feel hale and hearty. We are consigning both the Dry and the Lazy January to the dustbin of irrelevance. Just be good to yourself loving yourselves each day.

Related Blogs

Blog - Resolutions unlimited (December 2003)

Blog - Happy New Year - 2007 (January 2007)

Blog - New Year's Considerations (January 2008)

Blog - Folate, I must, lactate, I can't (June 2017)

Opinion: Public safety is paramount regardless of your cuddly dog

Dogging my freedom to walk

I used to enjoy waking up early before the madding crowd got up to do my walking exercise, during which time I had two hours to myself, did about 15,000 steps and went through two public parks in Salford with the occasional encounter with people I had made an acquaintance with over time.

I stopped just over a year ago for one simple reason, the fear of dogs. Dogs that are momentarily out of control or out of earshot of their owners suddenly run at me because they are not on a leash and for whatever animal instinct they have, decide to attack me.

I had had so many encounters that I even bought an ultrasonic dog repellent device with the hope that the unpleasantness would cause the dog to run from me, but there was no guarantee it would work when you needed it to.

The law on dogs in public

Against this backdrop was the inconsiderate dog owner who would first be oblivious to the law and then project a sense of entitled freedom for their dog. The law requires that dogs in public places such as parks and footpaths should always be on a leash. It is also the responsibility of the dog owner to ensure that the public does not feel threatened by their dog. [GOV.UK: Controlling your dog in public] [BlueCross: Dog laws UK]

One morning as I was walking through the park, the dog walking with its owner bolted towards me and jumped on my leg up to my thigh, if I did not have track bottoms on, I would have had scratches on my leg. The encounter was terrifying for the simple reason, I did not know the dog. The owner however thought I had overreacted to her gentle cuddly puppy just being friendly to strangers, I did not get as much as an apology.

A few other times, I encountered the same dog and as it ran at me, I shouted to the owner to call their dog to order. I began to change the times when I walked through the park, bought the dog repellent device, and eventually concluded, that it was just too much hassle for me, the relaxation I was getting from walking was becoming a stressful and foreboding experience that every dog I saw now looked like a threat to my safety.

Your loving dog, is a public threat

Much as I appreciate the dog owner’s perspective, it selfishly does not consider that the familiarity the dog has with its owner is not automatically transferred to strangers. To turn it around, it is like a stranger jumping out of the bush to pounce on someone unawares, you do not welcome that violation and fright by patting the stranger on the head and giving them a kiss, even if that stranger comes from a family and environment where they are loved, respected, and cherished. A stranger is a stranger whenever you get familiar with the person.

The same would apply to dogs, no assumption should be made of a dog being friendly to strangers in public when they are loving and cuddly at home. That is where the debate should be. For as long as the dogs are in their homes, the public is safe, but when the dogs are brought into a public space, they should be under control and instruction, they should not be menacing, and people should generally not feel terrified of your dog.

Human rights trump animal rights

My freedom to roam and walk at the time of my choosing was trammelled because of an irresponsible dog owner with a sweet dog that was recklessly out-of-control in a public park. Sadly, this is the case in the current issue about the attacks by the American XL Bully dogs reported in the news with many injured needing hospital care and one fatality, in the space of one week.

The counter-advocacy is against the banning of dogs, but if a dog can weigh as much as an average-sized being and is not strictly under control in public places, unfortunate dog attacks can be lethal and life-changing, what is the mitigation for the dog or the dog owner?

In my case, it was not any of the dogs on the banned list, it did not make the dog any less an animal as opposed to a person I could attempt to reason with, in a confrontation. A dog will always remain an animal whether tamed or wild, and much as I subscribe to animal rights and the treatment of animals with care and consideration, they cannot in the face of the law be equal to human beings in terms of the freedom to express themselves as animals with all the instincts that entails.

Public safety remains preeminent

The core responsibility is with the owner to have good control of their dog; however, the essential point is the public should not be fearful of either the dog being out of control or irresponsible dog owners not understanding the situation of their dog being a possible menacing threat in the public. Public safety is paramount, regardless of what relationship you have with your dog in your home setting.

For that reason, I am in support of banning the American XL Bully breed and any associated breeds that could represent a threat to public safety. In addition to that, any dog owner must know the law about dogs in public spaces, they do not have the same and equal rights as persons and examples of the law must be made of dog owners who have taken the right to walk roughshod on the law that requires, they are responsible owners of animals, including dogs. [Petitions: Make XL Bully a banned dog breed in the Dangerous Dogs Act]

Blog - Rottweilers are NOT pets (December 2007)

Blog - A note on "Rottweilers are NOT pets" (May 2010)

Coronavirus streets in Manchester - LXIII

Sights and sounds very natural

On my exercise walks in Manchester, there are things that I see that sometimes would be considered insignificant and yet together creates an experience. I can be attentive with a lot of spatial awareness, and I am not distracted by looking on my mobile phone or listening to music through headphones as many people I see are, that there are times we almost bump into each other because of their careless use of public spaces totally not considering the fact that personal and public safety is a function of everyone acting with respect to others around them.

That a man would pull up that early in the morning at the Sikh Gurdwara in his Bentley coupe without the accoutrements of Sikhism but in a suit and tie seemed quite strange even as there was no one at the gate to let him in. I did not wait to see what he would do next; I had my pace and cadence to keep.

Abandoned to canine distress

We are however dogged by different levels of irresponsibility when it comes to dogs being taken for walks. There are a few kept on a leash and even one menacing one I have met a few times that is muzzled. Many dog owners do not seem to be aware that other people they meet in public spaces might be terrified of dogs and so, they should have better control of their animals.

One was pretending to throw a stick for the dog to fetch, the dog deceived ran forward and then realised it had been tricked and few times. Just as I noted that was rather bad behaviour on the part of the dog dad, the dog appeared to race up towards me gnarling with rage and then backed off.

Somewhere else, a couple let their dog run up ahead and it fouled up a garden, but as the dog was out of their sight, they would not have known to clean up after their dog. It is likely, they do not bother to do that in any case. I do see many instances of this irresponsible behaviour and lest the owners set their dogs on you, you find that you just move on disconcerted by that observation.

A dog amuck

However, it was this that was most terrifying, I was on my home straight from the park, a dog digging around in the grass but off the leash some 20 metres away, saw me coming and immediately ran up to me, jumping and clawing at my leg. I have no idea why; I was not a threat in any way. Obviously, the owner called it off and apologised. But if she had been paying any attention to her dog, this would never have happened, and I am sure it is not the first time.

Then I remember the more responsible dog owners, such that I know the names of the dogs but not that of their owners, like Tilly that has quite an independent and individualistic personality, she is never on a leash and quite well behaved. Her housemate has never been let go of, for all the time that I have seen him in the park. George is a fluffy St Bernard, friendly and likeable, you just want to pat him anytime you see him.

I probably should wear shinpads in anticipation of canine aggression, it could be managed, if the owners were a little more responsible.

Coronavirus streets at canine trot - LVIII

Beware of dog

Deciding on an early start rather than taking a nap after work, I launched into my walking exercise with the aim of catching up on my daily average, if not for the week, at least for the month. My balaclava face mask worn like a neckerchief to be pulled up when approaching crowds, for the pandemic is not over by a long stretch.

The dusk was closing in quickly, that at 5:00 PM, it was as good as dark and so I needed to reconsider how my route would go. As I came off the second crossing of River Irwell, I took a turn that left me with the foreboding of an unfettered dog barking at the sense of any movement around its territory, but it appeared the dog was already out on walks with its owner that was chatting to their neighbour as passed by, the dog literally ignoring me, I was quite surprised.

Beware of person

Back on my typical route, one pedestrian path had been closed off for road maintenance which left me in an awkward dalliance with danger and car oblivious of other road users. I survived to make it onto Peel Park where I found that quite a few dog owners had attached lights to their dogs so they could be sighted in the dark.

Another two encounters with dogs well-behaved almost had me wondering whether the dogs had been pacified and mollified with substances, only to almost walk into another dog that the owner did not care to control. Meanwhile, the cover of darkness allowed for a dog to foul the undergrowth without having to clean up after their dog.

Beware of plumes

When I came out to the students’ halls of residence, I was accosted for a lighter which would be rather strange as I would have never really expected someone exercising to be a smoker, the lady who asked had me thinking, I stopped flicking a lighter long before you were born. I stopped smoking in 1988.

Back on the macadamised path between River Irwell and Peel Park, I had a second encounter with that control that appeared to be out of control whilst on the leash and now much better behaved when allowed to roam free, you can only wonder whether the temperament is on the owner or the dog.

Beware of fools

My last canine encounter was at New Islington, two dogs with two owners, the leads left loose that they covered the whole pathway such that anyone wanting to go by needed the owners to tug the leads or call the dogs.

Why that is so necessary when it was obvious, they were in a busy area, escapes me, but you have to agree that dogs either imitate the good behaviour of their owners or the owners simply copy the wildness of their potentially housetrained and domesticated dogs, the potential left unexploited from my observation.

It was a good workout and for all the dogs I saw, none barked or growled, it was just a case of the control or absence of the same.

It's walking and I'm balking - X

Lawless on scooters

I guess there are two things that are my bugbears when I go out on my walks, the first that has become both a menace and a nuisance on our streets and especially on our pavements are the electric scooters or e-scooters, that are left strewn about the place abandoned by riders very much in the ilk of car drivers who discard their banana skins out of the windows are part of the problem.

Sadly, the traffic laws have not kept up with the invasion of these vehicles has allowed impunity to reign in their usage. They whizz by at speed completely oblivious of pedestrians who are almost always startled by the event, the riders do not even care to have a view of what they have done, you would think the things have no brakes.

Bad behaviour about

The other day, one just came out of nowhere and passed in front of me, there was hardy a foot distance between us, I felt the air turbulence on my face. Had I been slightly faster, I would have been knocked down by someone travelling at over 40 kilometres an hour on a pavement, when there is a clearly delineated cycle lane on the same road. It makes going out for a walk a dangerous exercise because careless and carefree people have become the kings of the pavement.

Then it is dogs, dogs out of the control of their owners that scurry or run into your path sometimes snarling and not reacting to the calls of their owners who after that encounter cannot apologise for the behaviour of their canine companions. It should not be lost on anyone that canine behaviour reflects the handler.

Just a second of terror

I sometimes wish when the dog approaches, I momentarily shapeshift and transmogrify into blood thirsty lion just for a split second that it cannot be captured, but effective enough to put the fear of all creation in the dog and the handler, just the change from snarling to whimpering would be a great pleasure and moderator. I need those powers.

On other paths, it is owners that do not have the civic responsibility of cleaning up after their dogs, there are fines for this, but they need to be caught. Maybe one last thing is cars that park on pedestrian crossings, the right of way is for pedestrians first and then it is an inconvenience for wheelchair user because there is a ramp from the pavement onto the road that is blocked off. Such people should receive heftier parking fines. I see this too many times that I wonder, does the council really care about this?

Dreamscape: The dream-wake

Winnie!

In what looked like a generation ago, we had a dog, a bitch, a canine with an aggressive feline temperament, she was big and fierce, masterly in territorial presence, a terror to the unwary.

She came to us a matriarch from family friends who had moved into town but without the space in which to keep her.

We had an expansive compound, high walls and sturdy gates, we accepted her into the household with rules that indicated an apparent lack of discipline from her former home. She came with an appellation, the name Winnie.

The taming of Winnie

I became the ringmaster to inculcate the better habit of dog friendliness in here because she had become a demigod to serve with trembling and never to be approached when eating. An infringement of that unwritten rule risked giving a digit or a limb to Winnie for her dessert. That was unacceptable behaviour in our household.

At one time, she nicked the head of the household’s finger as he tried to remove a fish bone from her food bowl, that called for an intervention and it was immediate.

Soon, she delivered a litter of puppies, but Winnie had no maternal instinct, we could not help the distressed puppies and within a week the whole litter of five died.

However, as a guard dog, she was menacing, even if when I took her for a walk, the looks from some of the neighbourhood signified a meal. As she protected us, we had to protect her, she was a well-loved family pet.

The mystification of Winnie

It transpired that one Saturday morning as we all were having a lie-in, I was in REM sleep, the subject of my dreams was telling off workers across the road from us where a building was being constructed for disturbing our peace. Our compound had the building materials and each time they needed stuff, they would knock on the gates for us to not only let them in but out of fear of Winnie, they would not access the compound until one of us had Winnie on a leash.

Into my dreamy existence came the rattling of the gate with a bit of hollering to have Winnie curtailed. My aunt, woken from slumber at the same time got up just as I did, she was going to give the workers a stern talking to, but since I was already on the roll from within my dreamscape, I asked her to let me deal with the situation.

If my words did not strike terror in the workers, they were left in no doubt that any other slight disturbance from them again would have them fed to my dog. They were warned once and it never happened again.

The dream-wake

This kind of arousal from dreaminess into wakefulness with a continuation of the same theme of the dream is what I have called a ‘dream-wake’. I had one such dream-wake today when having had a night of insomnia, it was well into the morning before I got some much-needed sleep.

In my dream, I had rushed to the train station to catch a train with just a few minutes to spare. There was a queue of undecided customers in front of me buying tickets and asking questions as I fidgeted about getting a ticket and making it to the right platform. When I was finally attended to, the train was pulling into the station and I had to go up a footbridge to board the train, I never really go on the train because I was suddenly aroused and awake.

In my wakefulness, I looked at my watch and almost panicked; my train was in 25 minutes and I have not even packed my bag, in fact, there were so many things to do. Empty the washing machine, take out the rubbish, turn off the water mains, lighten my baggage because I was having a short week away and I could not afford to forget some essentials for my journey. Luckily, I had picked up my tickets from Friday night, so I only had to make it to the station, some 5 minutes away and get my stuff to the right platform.

Phew! I made it

There was no time to waste, I unloaded the washing machine, jettisoned one suit, packed my bag, forgetting to take out the rubbish or turn off the tap, I was out of the house with just 13 minutes to spare. Panting like I had just done a marathon unprepared, I got to the station, with all the heft I had, carried my baggage up the stairs rather than wait to use the lifts at the far end of the platform and only had to wait 2 minutes for the train.

Thankfully, I could choose one of two stations to board the train and the easier one did not require a labyrinthic journey to the platform. I had to board that train to make a connecting train just under an hour away. My ticket had restrictions that meant I had to be on the particularly booked trains or I risked a full fare penalty.

I made both trains, but the dream-wake experience must have been the subconscious saving me the accident of misfortune at great cost. Whilst I do not seek meanings to my sometimes vivid dreams, I do not ignore the simple lessons, insights, warnings or triggers the dreams offer in terms of preservation, information and caution. Without my dream-wake, I would have been left in dire straits.

A note on "Rottweilers are NOT pets"

That blog

Rottweilers are NOT pets  (December 2007)

I wrote that blog in December 2007 after a news story broke about another Rottweiler mauling a child and all I get are dog lovers coming after me rather than their dogs to maul me.

I have now closed that blog to comments after the last “dog-owner”, I wonder if that is the right ownership connection left a comment on a completely different blog.

Whilst my views might cause outrage, they reflected the general feeling about the issue and the fact that children were being put in harm’s way by irresponsible adults.

Responsible behaviour

Just as responsible adults would not leave guns – loaded or unloaded – in the play area of children, certain dogs are like loaded guns though the safety catch of training and cuddliness might be on, however, how does an observer know if a gun is safe, loaded or unloaded in the hands on a child?

In responsible societies, the gun owner would be prosecuted and the gun confiscated, as for the dog, unfortunately putting it down is the equivalent. Human beings are still top of the hierarchy in relation to animals no matter how human-like they have become.

That is the kind of thinking that governed the writing of the original blog – in any case, I have updated that blog with the note below because my blog now appears on web searches of people looking for contrary writers to maul – I am not your dog-food.

Start your own blog about your fancy dog if you feel so strongly about it.

My note to all the readers

Note: Dog lovers, I appreciate the strength of feeling you all have regarding your dogs, their temperaments and the castigation of breeds. Rottweiler can crudely translate to village rout which spells trouble rather than a sense of comfort and safety.

Our lawmakers made a law banning those dogs. I am just reflecting on the public outcry about dog owners who train their dogs to be aggressive maulers or have allowed a naturally aggressive streak to arise in them - whilst rottweilers might be cuddly and lovable, you don't hear of anyone training a poodle to be aggressive, it just does not have the look and the fiercesomeness that is required even though there might be accidents.

I am taking no more comments on this blog, if you feel so strongly about your dogs, go and write about them somewhere else, more so, I wonder if some of the commenters really should have those dogs if their comments end up on other blog topics – cool-headedness no matter the outrage about views you have read can help one write an encouraging opinion about rottweilers.

So far, I am sorry to say, that a majority of the comments have not persuaded me that the dogs are friendly or the owners are able to manage those dogs with a sense of societal and communal responsibility.

Dogged by Goth prejudice

Knowing nothing about Goths

We have at times found ourselves in the primitive state of allowing our prejudices to becloud our better judgement.

If we are then challenged about those prejudices, we attempt to defend the indefensible whilst successfully making fools of ourselves.

I am not entirely familiar with the Goth sub-culture but I know that they look threatening enough in their black robes, long hair and piercings in all sorts of places – that is their choice of appearance.

At liberty as adults

In fact, I remain a strong advocate of the thought that we should never be embarrassed for doing what we as adults decide to do within the law and with mutual consent of the parties involved.

Some of those activities, many might find reprehensible, but then we have the choice not to countenance the situation or try and think through the matter, just look away.

Some instances might be difficult like the case of a Goth couple, the male, Dani Graves, 25, and his mate (fiancée) Tasha Maltby, 19, had taken to appearing in public with a dog collar on a leash round the neck of the lady.

Unusual as this might seem to the public, there is no law against anyone willing to be restrained in that manner – the fundamentals being willingness and informed consent. The lady prefers to live a dogs life - her prerogative.

Live and let live

Now, being an advocate for personal freedom and the freedom from mental or obvious shackles, I am sorry that anyone would want to adopt such a submissive posture – but each one to his/her own.

I would then hope that people will and can restrain themselves from heaping opprobrium on either party no matter how strongly they feel about this depiction.

It so happens that this couple was ejected from one bus and not granted leave to board another bus both operated Arriva Yorkshire.

Their defence was there were fears for passenger safety especially if the bus were to brake suddenly.

Their advice was that they would only allow the lady to board their buses if she removed her dog lead.

Easy Questions for difficult answers

Two questions arise from this development.

Are dogs allowed on Arriva Yorkshire buses?

It would appear dogs are allowed to travel free of charge on Arriva North West and Wales buses which are part of the Arriva Group. There probably is a similar kind of deal in other regions and maybe the handlers have to pay a fee to travel with their dogs.

Who would be affected if the bus did brake suddenly?

I would suppose everyone would be affected, a real dog on a lead or a person on a dog lead along with every other occupant of the bus.

If this does give that much serious concern I would suggest that seat belts be mandatory to all occupants of a bus sitting down and dogs should be in restraining harnesses rather than mere leads to travel on buses.

In fact, it would be preferable to have no standing in buses; all buses should have all seating carriages.

Prejudice expressed apology extracted

That however is, the objective part of this discourse because the obvious prejudice was expressed in these words as the driver literally manhandled the couple – “We don't let freaks and dogs like you on”. That was in England in 2008.

I rest my case as an apology from Arriva Yorkshire wends its way to the seriously offended couple.

Some video about the issue.