I love Dogs me...

We 3 set off after sunrise, not by much but the sun was above the horizon peering thru a blanket of coastal cloud with blue sky above. Birdsong is continuing to grow & the mixture of Birds with it, the bird life know Spring is well & truly on its way. Young un & Her Mum were fully energized today, bounding around the hedgerows with energy to spare, in & out of small gaps, checking my location then off again. We headed Nor'easterly today, the idea being to cover at least a good 3+ miles. Constantly checking over hedges & across fields as the sightings of Roe Deer has dropped of late. They could be keeping a low profile if enough of them are pregnant I guess as they'd find it more difficult to escape from predators(Humans) due to their size & weight. I saw up ahead that some animal was laid at the side of the road, it's legs on the road. The road is a feeder road, narrow but quite serviceable between 2 Villages & is used as a short cut for many drivers. My Dogs were interested in the male Deer we sadly found but not worrying the body in any way, just sniffing. One of the legs looked broken. The body was cold, some glass on the road & marks of skidding suggested a car had hit the Deer. It was a sad sight, just laid on the roadside. The Deer was in a decent condition as I couldn't feel any protruding ribs. To lose its life at the beginning of the Spring after successfully getting thru a Winter is doubly sad. It wasn't the first Deer I've seen dead but that didn't lessen the sadness of seeing this beautiful animal laid at the roadside like so much discarded litter. I dragged its body some 10metres & placed it behind a hedge to allow nature to take its course & recycle the body. It will feed other creatures that will be struggling to find food at this time of the year, all part of the natural cycle of life. It was with a sombre mood I continued with our walk, wondering if it had been one I'd seen over the last year. It won't make sense to many that finding a dead animal by the side of the road can impact on someone's day, but it does. I have spent the most enjoyable part of my life sharing my environment with these beautiful animals. Seeing them enjoying life, to then find one cut down by someone who wanted to shave off a few minutes from their journey I find quite tragic. With every negative comes a positive, after leaving the feeder road I cut North to see a small herd(5) of Roe Deer feeding just outside a stand of Trees, alert & very much alive in a thinning shroud of mist slowly being burnt back by the strengthening sun. Enjoy your day.

Beautiful read again Rocky - thanks. So sad about the deer, glad you moved it so anything else recycling the carcass should be safe from traffic. I do wish people wouldn't leave things they've hit at the mercy of passing traffic, wildlife or domestic. Sadly people think or time very distressing.  Your reward for your gooddeed to see living herd. No kindnessis ever wasted. 

B2, I'm a firm believer in 'what goes around comes around.' Thankyou for the post it's good that others do actually understand & can share another's feelings. Dignity in death is also important to me, to others it's just a 'wild Animal' to me it's part of the rich tapestry that gives me a daily lift to my life & deserving respect. It's good to share

Thanks, Rocky. A beautiful walk tinged with sadness. I hope the deer's line lives on in his offspring. You may actually have seen some of his descendants in that small herd. 

Thanks Tinny, good point it could quite possibly be. That's a positive thought

I have not looked in on CT for a few weeks but this thread is always my first port of call.

Another great post Rocky and you are not alone in feeling sad at the sight of wildlife losing their life on our country lanes. Unfortunately pheasants are often the victims in my area.   

My brother in law has a tale he must have told me a dozens of times. It involved him driving along a country lane on his way to work early one morning and hitting a deer. He stopped the car and walked back to the poor animal that was laid out at the side of the road. He was about to haul it into the grass verge when all of a sudden it jumped up ran over the road an cleared a five foot hedge. His story can vary slightly but at least the ending is a happy one, I do hope it made a full recovery.

Thanks again for your post.       

You are most welcome Nevers, it's good to see you posting I just wish they were all as robust as the one BIL hit, alas they're not Mucker

Good to see you, Nevers.

Later start today, after the sunrise found us striding out into the new day & landscape. Cool, breezy with moisture in the air, but just short of raining. Both Young un & Her Mum staying close today. I donned my Hooded coat & Beanie hat to ward off the chill & expected rain. A slower short walk this morning, I noticed the buds continuing to plump up on the field Maples, Ash buds too. I sat on the log in the small copse, opened my jacket to see 2 expectant faces moving swiftly towards me as they both jumped up. I pulled them in close, lifted my hood & just hunkered down to let the contentment & warmth from the Dogs slowly seep into my body-bliss. It's late Winter, the wind is blowing the branches of the Beech Trees towering above me, soughing thru them with a hint of a low whistle. The green patchwork field blends seamlessly with the hedges as they have done throughout agricultural history-timeless. No major wildlife to be seen today, Rabbits feeding at the same spot from the same warren that was previously visited by the Weasel for breakfast the only company for us. Gladly no repeat today. No Birds in voice, most staying off the wing, particularly the songbirds due to their lack of weight no doubt. We just enjoyed the closeness & I enjoyed the connection to my landscape in perfect quiet & serenity, just touching base. The restless year moves onwards to Spring with expected toe dips back into Winter during its journey. I could have spent much longer if my back allowed, but years of Tree work, logs that were big but not as big as my ego, ego pushing me to ignore the future problems & just live for the day. I gave Young un & Her Mum one last hug before I gently awoke them, carefully put them down, accepted the looks of disgust as they stretched then we 3 slowly walked back. No rain came, a further time spent in the Winter beauty of our glorious countryside. Enjoy your day.

That engenders a great feeling of peace, Rocky. May you and your dogs enjoy the weekend.