Persephone Frobisher Frightens Me!

Persephone Frobisher Frightens Me!

Persephone Frobisher was not a woman to be crossed. Tall and well built, she gave the impression that she took no prisoners. She also had a frosty glare that suggested she could take a person out just by looking at them. When she smiled, a rare event, it looked as though it was against her will. On the rare occasion she did manage to do it, she somehow took on more the look of a snarling wolf, guarding its hard won dinner!

I was scared of her. But, then, everyone was scared of her. Even the dogs were scared of her. A fully grown pit bull type mastiff with a killer instinct was no match for Persephone. If she said SIT everyone sat not only the dogs but also their handlers. It was as if we were playing musical chairs as everyone rushed to get a seat. No one wanting to be the person left standing when she turned her icy glare on whoever was unlucky enough not to have managed to get a seat.

“I said SIT,” She bellowed aggressively. “So why are you not sitting?”

“There are no chairs left,” the Poor Sod, who didn’t manage to get a chair, mumbled as she looked, shamefaced, at the floor, though really not daring to catch that icy glare.

“It is no good me spending my time teaching dogs to be well behaved if you handlers don’t follow suit. Now then, everyone up on the floor and we will do a down stay.”

The Poor Sod did exactly as Persephone said.

“And what do you think you are doing? The dogs! It’s the dogs who will do a down stay. God give me strength!”

The poor, Poor Sod got up very red-faced.

We all quickly went back on to the floor before we made Persephone really angry as she was taking on the look of boiled beetroot and we all knew what that would mean. All of us were willing our dogs to go straight in to the down position. C’mon, Brady, I was thinking, please don’t let me down now.

“Tell your dogs to STAY and leave your dogs… those of you who can go out of sight do so but NO TALKING! You, yes, you” she said to Poor Sod, “You stay in the hall where I can see what is going on.”

Poor Sod cowered where Persephone pointed.

“You will do a two minute stay…those of you who go out of sight will do a three minute stay. Is that clear?”

Poor Sod nodded.

For all of us that could go out of sight the three minutes ticked slowly by as we all huddled together in the lobby for comfort but not daring to speak. All hoping it would not be our dog that committed the unpardonable and got up. Eventually the three minute purgatory was over and we heard Persephone’s dulcet tones.

“Return to your dogs, no speaking or touching until I tell you exercise finish at which point you will circle your dog and praise them in the position before allowing them to move.”

We did as she told us. We always did as she told us. Poor Sod was by this time stood by the table where Persephone kept her retrieve articles. It looked like she was going to be first to do retrieve…never a thing of choice!

“You, yes you, get yourself a suitable retrieve article and come here. Yes, yes, that will do.”

Poor Sod took a wooden dumbbell and with leaden feet reluctantly went towards Persephone.

“Now then all of you whose dogs are not yet retrieving take note of what I am going to demonstrate with this dumbbell. The first thing you must do is teach your dog to hold the article steady in its mouth. For this reason you do not, I repeat, you do not stuff it into the back of your dog’s mouth as it will gag and spit it out. No, you place it like so just inside the dog’s mouth and quietly stroke it under the chin.”

We all watched carefully even though most of our dogs, my dog included, thank God, could do a full retrieve. But one didn’t argue with Persephone, if she said watch you watched.

“Okay, those of you whose dogs cannot do a full retrieve practise what I have just demonstrated and those of you whose dogs can retrieve come out one at a time. You first,” she said, pointing at me.

With the dread well and truly on me I stepped forward with Brady. Brady, I inwardly implored, just remember who it is who feeds you, takes you for walks and plays with you, hoping her canine instincts would somehow tune in to my reasoning that now was a good time for me to call in all favours. I set her up ready.

“Command your dog!” Persephone bellowed.

“Brady, Wait” I said.

“Throw your bell.”

I threw my bell.

“Send your dog.”

I sent my dog.

“Brady, Fetch”

Oh, thank you God, I said silently as Brady picked it up and brought it back and sat straight in front of me holding the bell without mouthing.

“Take your bell.”

I took my bell.

“Exercise finish.”

“Brady, Heel.”

She came round behind me and into a straight sit by my left side. Relief flooded over me as I went to walk back to my place.

“Ahem, haven’t we forgotten something?”

In fear I turned back to face Persephone. I could feel little beads of sweat forming on my top lip.

“Thank you, Persephone,” I said.

“Not me, stupid, your dog…you forgot to praise your dog.”

“Oh, Brady, there’s a good girl,” I said, stroking her head with the words tumbling from me, as I almost wet my knickers with relief!

Then we did some heelwork but Poor Sod didn’t fare too well with that either as she couldn’t seem to get to grips with Right Turns and Right About Turns much to Persephone’s annoyance. At least she was taking the heat off the rest of us, I thought, rather selfishly.

We did a few more exercises, Sendaway, Distant Control and Positions on the Move and all of this without the stench of fear becoming too overwhelming, except for Poor Sod who was still having a difficult time of it.

When our ordeal was finally over and Persephone allowed us to return to the bosom of our families we all made quickly for the door leading to the outside lobby before I noticed that Poor Sod was going to be last out which meant that she might get told to help put the mats away. So, out of sympathy, I waited for her and hurried her through the door before Persephone could call her back.

“You need to get out quick otherwise Persephone might ask you to help with the mats.” I said, but she just looked blank. “You’ve not been before, have you?”

She shook her head.

“If I were you I should bring a dog with you next time?”

“I won’t be coming again.” She said, flatly.

“No?”

“No, I thought I had enrolled for a Zumba Class!”

End