Right place at the right time
My name is Matt Gay. I and Jan Pearson have lived in London for a little over 20 years but have been debating a move to Nova Scotia for a while and were there on a part holiday-part research trip.
The weather was unbelievable, the scenery breathtaking and the hospitality we experienced made it all the more special; it’s very difficult to find a reason not to want to live there. Although we have promised ourselves a return trip in the winter months for a reality check!
We’d spent a day exploring the Pubnicos (including a fabulous lunch at the Red Cap), also taking in the UFO crash site at Shag Harbour, where unfortunately along the way we ran over some kind of small rodent. This set us off talking about karma and how things would work out for us now.
As we approached our turning to Linda Coakley’s place in Yar- mouth County, we decided at the last minute to take a look at the lighthouse on Cape Forchu. We were on the Yarmouth Bar road, almost at the lighthouse, when I spotted a small brown excitable object playing in the road that was neither raccoon nor porcupine. As we drew nearer, we and the traffic on the other side of the road were forced to stop. Looking up at us – blissfully unaware of the peril his bimbling had put him in – was a young puppy. Confronted by such vulnerability we had no choice but to pull over and rescue him.
No one appeared to be in at the house he had clearly escaped from. Jan tried to read the phone number on his collar – but this was misinterpreted as play by the young pup. This was clearly a job for two. I took hold of the wriggling bundle of energy while Jan read the number and called the horrified owner. The owner informed us he was a 13-week-old ‘Valley Bulldog’ – half boxer, half English bulldog called Zeus.
Tempting as it was to keep him for ourselves for the remainder of our Nova Scotia tour, the owner asked us to put him inside and shut the door, which we did . . . reluctantly.
So, karma was restored. We may have extinguished the life of a rat, but we lengthened that of a god...I mean dog. Zeus lives. How Forchu-itous we took that road! Matt Gay, Kennington, South London, UK