When last we saw our ravine friend he had with him his now two-year-old bull mastiff and his elderly Bernese Mountain dog. Today we discovered when we ran across him in the ravine that the Bernese Mountain dog was put to sleep several weeks ago. A tumour he'd had on his leg that was being treated suddenly spread to his heart, becoming hugely enlarged in the process; he was eight years old. Since then a second bull mastiff was acquired; he had contacted the breeder from whom he had got the first, and was informed that a family with five young children was struggling to cope with the cost of looking after its litter mate and gave him the contact number.

He discovered that the family owning the second bull mastiff really was unable to cope, and they negotiated a deal. He took the dog off their hands, and reintroduced his own to the newcomer. Both males, his original dog is the alpha, the second one having a more laid-back temperament. The second one was undernourished, hadn't been fed adequately because the family couldn't afford it, and was seldom exercised.

So little accustomed to being active that it actually had to be encouraged to climb steps, and when we saw them it was its first incursion into the ravine. We walked along together for a half-hour or so, discussing mutual acquaintances in the form of area vets; we'd only discovered yesterday that the original veterinarian whom we'd contracted with over 25 years ago had died; it was his brother who had been looking after Button and Riley on the retirement of the older one due to illness.

The two huge and powerful dogs took little mind of Jackie and Jillie who were happy to cavort around them. We eventually came across two others whom we know more remotely, with a bull mastiff/boxer cross and a husky. The cross, we learned later from its owner, was pathologically averse to the presence of other large male dogs, and swiftly showed us just how averse it was, so we parted expeditiously.

We also parted with our friend with the bull mastiffs when the two dogs began wrestling with one another, emitting appropriate growls and snarls as they played. Their playfighting both aroused and frightened our two mites, so we parted ways for fear that their shrill barking at the two large dogs would infuriate them.

The two men with the cross-bred boxer/bull mastiff and Siberian husky eventually caught up with us, cautious to enquire from us whether the two bull mastiffs were still around, Reassured, they walked along with us for another half-hour of our ravine ramble. It was a mild day, overcast with little wind, and we'd gone out earlier than we normally do, to get out ahead of the forecasted rain when the temperature was set to rise to about 6 degrees, quite a change from yesterday's minus-7, and miserable wind.

Soon other dogs joined the four walking along with us, another much smaller boxer and a mixed brindle hound. Jackie and Jillie are thrilled with the presence of other dogs, wanting to get to know them, and to romp alongside them. They only draw back when another dog expresses too much of an interest in them, making them uncomfortable when things get a little intimidating. Otherwise they want to be 'one of the boys'.