The MacNaughties have a new toy. It is a small, ugly, toughened-plastic figure that you unscrew and fill it with dog treats. You then sit back and watch them being driven mad…
Pushed on one side a tiny biscuit should fall out of an equally tiny hole. But it is a fiddly business – and it is one that takes some working out.
And, let’s face it, my two are not the brightest canine buttons in the box. The red doll rattles enticingly as the Cocker shoves it around the kitchen floor for a few minutes before losing interest.
The Norfolk watches closely. But he is a little cannier. After a few bouts of biting and chewing – he takes the ears off the thing – he finally works out that if he uses his paw he can tip it over.
And, wonders, a treaty-bit appears! The Cocker senses something tasty and tries to do the same. He is last seen banging the thing against the wall in frustration.
It is a cheap and cheerful enough buy and should keep them occupied for a few happy hours whilst we are out of the house. Boredom is bad for dogs. Well boredom is bad, full stop.
Bored to death, bored to tears, bored stiff… As a child we were never allowed to say we were bored. ‘Well, find something to do’ was always my mother’s reply.
Something like helping others? Volunteers’ Week has just come and gone and this week I meet a number of these unpaid helpers as I give a speech at a Volunteer awards ceremony.
I am staggered by their energy. A quarter of the population regularly volunteers. Women outnumber men – and there is an increase in the number of older people offering their services.
And why not? The oldies may just have the time and they certainly have the drive. Don’t forget, sixty is the new forty…
It could be tidying the footpaths around a local loch, or offering comfort and advice at the end of a telephone line. There is no shortage of groups needing help.
A local drop-in centre may rely on a dozen volunteers. Or, if you are the Football Association, you can count on a staggering 400,000 of them – all those club secretaries, linesmen, referees and the rest…
The scouts and guides need mums and dads to offer their services. If property is your thing there is the National Trust for Scotland. Then there is Citizens Advice Scotland – and when you hear that more than half the people in this country run out of money before pay day, you can see how vital these services are.
So let’s hear it for our tartan volunteer army! Young, old and middling, you are the kind-hearted wheels that keep the country going.
Then you tell me that making an effort and having something to do is rewarding. As my doggies are finding out when they push that infuriating figure round the floor…