Concentration

Tobia: "I don't know what is wrong today, I can't concentrate. I keep drifting, thinking of nothing and to boot I have a great need for caresses."

Peggy: "A willy-nilly if there ever was one, a bit of rain and wind and off you go. Concentrate??? It is that one track mind of yours that needs fixing. Well, I I hadn't really noticed your problems, it is so difficult to see the difference - whether you are concentrating or just staring off in the void!

Friends

Peggy: "Rita's here, Rita's here! Oh dear oh dear oh dear, how are you, what kind of lotion did you put on your legs this morning, where have you been, do you have something edible in that bag oh dear oh dear oh dear, I've been missing you, a lot, really a lot, a big lot! Oh dear oh dear oh dear."

Tobia: "Peggy, really! Let the poor soul alone for a moment, you are really being a nuisance, you know."

Peggy: "Well, who is it that can't see a female without getting excited, and not just females I could add!"

Tobia: "At least I go about it with a bit of style, not dancing around like a fly in a bottle."

Hot

Tobia: "I really must say that this heat is rather too much. And it is only May, I can just imagine what July and August will be like."

Peggy: "Nobody asks you to run around digging holes and barking at lizards! Those things you can do in the morning or late afternoon but not in the middle of the day. 'Mad dogs and Englishmen...' - in this case it is "Mad English Setters"! And just because the weather is hot now doesn't mean that it is going to be hot until September. Anyway, why worry about July, who knows what'll happen anyway. The important thing is to get through the day without too much trouble, having the food and water, you need and perhaps a few caresses...!"

Work load

Tobia: “What is ailing you these days? You keep close to the tall one all the time and when he’s not there you stay glued to my master. It almost seems like you are not feeling well. But then, once we are outside, you keep arguing with the neighbors or barks at anything that might be an intruder.”

Peggy: “I don’t know what is happening, I sense something – agitation, stress, preoccupations – and my instinct tells me that I should stay close to protect in case something happens. You keep talking about your past, your genes but I know that in the mix of my DNA there are both genes of sheep dogs and I need to know that everything is calm, that there are no enemies around and that the people, I protect, are calm.”

Tobia: “I think you are overdoing it just a tad. I mean going into the bathroom with them seems hardly necessary.”

Peggy: "Look who's talking! Who is the one sitting outside the cabin when his master is taking a shower?"

Stormy weather - inside

Tobia: "Did you sleep last night? I heard you moving around quite a lot."

Peggy: "Don't get me wrong, I'm not that soft on them... if they want to throw things down the stairs, slam doors or shout, it's not my problem.
...
But I know it's better to stay out of the way when that happens, you never know what they'll do, I learned that with the family where I stayed before.
And sure enough: this morning the tall one got on my case just because I tried to tell Rocky where she could go. I mean: let's keep things apart: Just because he's upset about something doesn't really give him the right to get angry with everybody, does it?"

Tobia: "Well, you are the one that starts out every morning looking for someone to pounce upon! And you always find someone."

Rest

 

Tobia: "Peggy, are you all right? You look almost like someone taking a rest?"

Peggy: "Very funny, very funny indeed! I've been busy all morning and could use a rest but I don't have time for that, you know. 

I'm not resting, it's just that the tall one has put up some kind of netting that is difficult to see through so I have to look underneath it to keep an eye on the neighbor! Me, resting? Ha!"

Stormy weather

Tobia: "I don't like the rain, even less with a strong wind like that. Why do we have to go outside?"

Peggy: "Haven't you been house trained? do you want to be punished for peeing in the corner?
Before coming here, I stayed with a family... No, I won't even tell you what they did when I made a mess in the house. Let me just tell you that there is a reason why I always run away as soon as I have left my "calling cards" - even now when I never do it the house. The fear doesn't go away." 

Tobia: "Poor little Peggy, here you don't have to worry - come now, I'll go outside with you, even if it's raining cats and dogs."