Diep River Pack

Walking with my two African dogs is quite different from walking my two Labradors in Spain.
Every morning I arrive between 6.00 and 6.30 in the morning, parking the car close to the Wendy house of the security guard.
Although I preferred to walk each time in a different area, here I have been going for 9 days to the green belt of Diep River.
Why? Because there is such an enormous diversity of flowers, trees, bushes, birds, ducks, squirrels, and people walking with dogs.
I recognize huge oak trees big enough for Robin Hood and his mates to live in, or flowers that are very expensive in European flower shops and the Hadidas and Guinea Fowls that are bigger than European chickens. It is my intention to buy a book about the flora in the Cape provinces, for many other plants are unknown to me.
But I do recognize the dogs.
We meet Labradors, German Shepherds, Jack Russels, Golden Retrievers, Border Collies, mongrels and lots of Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Rhodesia is now called Zambia in the north and Zimbabwe in the south but the big African dogs are still Rhodesians.
What is so amazing is that this huge amount of dogs is running of leash and sofar I have never seen an incident between them.
Why is this possible?
I can see at least two reasons.
First, many dogs we meet are pets we have met before. Obviously their carers walk them in this magnificent botanical garden on a very regular basis. The result is that these dogs are used to meeting lots of other dogs. They are really very well socialized.
Secondly there is the way their South African carers walk with them. Sofar I have not seen many nice, nervous, insecure and anxious persons emanating weak energy. On the contrary. What I can read in the body language of the Diep River Pack is confidence, leadership, and calm assertive energy. Men or women, it does not matter, they are all walking fast or jogging and most of the time they take no notice of the dogs. The effect is that their dogs pay attention to them.
I have to admit though that there is absolutely no traffic allowed in this green belt and that a belt is....well a belt. I mean it is 100 to 200 m wide and very long. So you can say that it is easier to walk there than in the orange groves of Orba.
But nevertheless I am pleased to see the link between the assertive behaviour of the carers and the natural behaviour of their dogs.
I wrote that I arrive early in the morning.
It means of course that I get up early in the morning.
Why is that possible?
Because I have lived already 9 days without TV. Nine days without murders, wars, catastrophes, corruption being poured into my soul. Beautiful!
My bio-rythm has changed dramatically. I go to bed at 9.00 pm and get up at 6.00 pm. And you know what? All the hours of sleep before midnight count twice.
Did you know that?

Love from Bruno in The Cape.