Coco's corner: 10 August

Baxter the new puppy (new dog on the block in Bark Place) passed a key developmental milestone last week. He went on his first walk in Hyde Park with me, his godmother. Also accompanying was Jessie, the mongrel from next door.

So off we set, taking the ed in chief, Mr Mates, and Mr Dawnay on separate leads. So did the puppy behave? Well, the outcome was mixed. On the plus side, all the dogs came home in one piece. And it was sweet to see Baxter doing side-rolls on the ground like the Queen's corgis did during the Olympics Opening Ceremony. On the minus side, I would note the following:

1. Baxter has the same greedy gene as Ginkgo, his predecessor, who would run the length of the park if she heard a crisp packet rustle. At one point Baxter gambolled like a teddy bear to a couple picnicking, jumped on their backs, grabbed a bread roll and stood wagging his tail as if they would be delighted. The annoying thing was, they were.

2. Baxter is small enough to slip through railings into areas of the park where he can disappear, while Mr Mates stands bellowing, 'Baxter! Baaaaxter!' like the owner of Fenton, when the Labrador set off after the deer in Richmond Park. Luckily, Mr Mates is a TV presenter, so he has a loud voice and is not shy of using it.

Till next week,

Coco

Office Dog

Follow Coco on Twitter: @cocoladydog