Dog senses danger and proves faithful on mountain

The piece below appears in this week's INM's Irish regional newspapers.

Michael Commane
Has it ever occurred to you that it’s the little things that matter?

So often we are waiting around for the spectacular to happen and we miss what is right in front of our noses.

One day last week out walking with the dog I spotted a new Lidl shop. They seem to be popping up around every corner. I decided to go in and get a few things. It is spacious and has that new air to it. It was early afternoon and the shop was relatively quiet.

Four little children were making the best of it. What were they doing? They were playing hide and seek. It was the perfect venue, long aisles and loads of shelving which they could hide behind. It seemed as if two families were playing the game while their mothers moved about with their trolleys. Yes, somewhat unusual, but I have to admit that it was the highlight of my 15 minutes or so in the shop watching these little innocent children totally enjoying themselves. They were having fun and fortunately no one was silly enough to stop them.

I was telling this story to a fellow journalist, pointing out how it is the little things in our lives that can give us such pleasure and fun. She completely agreed and explained to me how that very morning her three-year-old child cuddled up beside her and pleaded with her not to go to work but to stay at home with her.

The woman explained to her daughter that she had to go to work so as to earn money so that she could buy food and toys for her family. The little girl piped up that in the future she would do without all those toys and would much prefer mammy to stay at home all day. Her mother told me it brought tears to her eyes. I’m not lying when I say I could feel my eyes getting watery.

During the windy days after Christmas I unadvisedly went out walking with friends. The plan was to climb Djouce Mountain, which is in Wicklow and is 725 metres high.

About 20 to 30 minutes from the top of the mountain I was finding it almost impossible to stand with the high winds. I had never before experienced such wind on an Irish mountain. My Labrador dog is completely untrained.

She is so undisciplined that there have been times when she has got me into trouble and left me in most embarrassing situations. She chases cats, foxes, badgers and the occasional dog that she takes an instant dislike to. I got her when she was four or five, so I take no responsibility for her poor manners.

But on that day on Djouce she knew I was in trouble and she stood beside me every step of the way. If she went ten paces ahead of me she would turn around to check all was well. I was really amazed at her behaviour. Incredible loyalty. I’m going to try to see her misdeeds in future in a different light. At least be kinder and more understanding towards her.

Later that night, recovering from the ordeal, I kept thinking about the dog’s behaviour. It was such a simple thing and yet when you think about it, it was also extraordinary.

As a child I loved Christmas and I can still remember a bus with real lights that Santa gave me one Christmas. I can vividly remember playing with that bus on the hall floor. In recent years I have been no great fan of Christmas but it so happened this year it turned out great. What was it that made it great? Meeting and talking with friends, playing cards, staying later in bed in the morning, sitting around a good fire in the evening, laughing.

And then I think of the world of advertising, shouting at me to buy this that and the other and if I do so I’ll be a happy man.
Of course I fall for it all the time. But that’s not what it’s about at all.

It’s the little things.