May 07, 2025

What colours your day in South Grey: Geoff Bowes appreciates a dog's misplaced devotion in "My Hero"

As an ongoing series in South Grey News, we have asked prominent local folks to share stories of the moments, places and/or people in South Grey that have brightened their lives. What we got is a definitive guide to happiness in our communities. Love of place — our place, South Grey — deserves love songs of its own.

This week, South Grey News is delighted to publish a recollection by actor and author Geoff Bowes, whose 2018 memoir Open Up the Wall is an entertaining account of his work as a contractor. Geoff and his wife Dixie Seatle, also an actor, are long-time rural residents of South Grey.

**************************************************

BY GEOFF BOWES — My wife had called to tell me that the sky was looking green over Markdale that afternoon. Tall trees were being buffeted by the wind, and she was driving home to get a fire going before the power went out, things were looking that bad.

Almost home, she saw a dog limping back and forth on the gravel sideroad. The signs were familiar — a strange dog, confused and anxious, meant that this one had probably been abandoned. We are no strangers to abandoned dogs on our sideroad. I suppose it’s because we are rural enough that letting a dog out of the minivan and driving away is easy to get away without being noticed.

Sometimes these poor dogs will come up to our house , but sometimes they are too frightened to stray from where they were dumped off. Such was the case with this very big, very lean girl who limped away when the car stopped.

Concerned, my wife stepped out into the gathering storm. She knelt, and spoke calmly to the dog, until at last, it limped closer to her… just as an Amber Alert notification wailed from her cellphone! The frightened dog ran across the road, under the fence and into our pasture. My wife followed, as the rain came down in sheets.

Eventually, the two of them somehow, came to an understanding, and they crossed the muddy field together. The dog leapt into the car — just as the Amber Alert wailed again.

Snatching the phone from her drenched shirt, my wife read: TORNADO WARNING FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE AREA. FIND SHELTER, etc., etc. She sped home as the wind grew stronger and louder, but now the dog was too frightened to leave the car, so the two of them rode out the storm in the car, parked in the lee of the driveshed.

For the next two days, the lucky dog lay by the fire, doted-on by my attentive wife. Our other dog was just as attentive, though perhaps, a bit jealous of all the care and attention being paid to the newcomer.

Then I returned home.

I had barely put my suitcase down before the dog approached me, fixing her big brown eyes upon me, as though I were the second coming. She pushed past my wife and pressed herself against me… where she has remained, figuratively speaking, ever since.

Through no effort on my part, with no particular act of kindness that could have elevated me to such regal status ,this dog has jilted her rescuer and become hopelessly devoted to me. Like a disciple, she follows me from room to room, dropping in supplication at my feet wherever I choose to sit. I am awakened at dawn by the smell of dog breath, to find her inches from my face, smiling her crooked dog smile at me. If I am at all inattentive, her wet nose will nudge me, reminding me of my obligation as top dog…

I sometimes feel a tinge of guilt about all this unwarranted devotion, and sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I was the one who saw the dog in the middle of a storm. I love everything about dogs, and all that they give to us humans, so the answer is clear:

I would have pulled over immediately and called my wife.

**************************************************

We're more than a little curious about what "colours your day" in South Grey. Write your own story and send it to us via our contact form, selecting "submit story or news tip" in the "I want to" dropdown field. Let's fill our website with positive vibes and escape those late winter doldrums!

 

---

At South Grey News, we endeavour to bring you truthful and factual, up-to-date local community news in a quick and easy-to-digest format that’s free of political bias. We believe this service is more important today than ever before, as social media has given rise to misinformation, largely unchecked by big corporations who put profits ahead of their responsibilities.

South Grey News does not have the resources of a big corporation. We are a small, locally owned-and-operated organization. Research, analysis and physical attendance at public meetings and community events requires considerable effort. But contributions from readers and advertisers, however big or small, go a long way to helping us deliver positive, open and honest journalism for this community.

Please consider supporting South Grey News with a donation in lieu of a subscription fee and let us know that our efforts are appreciated. Thank you.