Now that's progress. Last year at this time we had to put up a temporary fence around the gardens to keep Jackie and Jillie out of them. Not that we would have minded their meandering about in the garden. It was their browsing-chewing habit that concerned us.

In particular their peculiar appetite for trying out everything in sight. Their idea of what might be palatable certainly wouldn't be shared by most dogs, I'd venture. And we knew that some garden plants are poisonous to dogs. So we also had to rid ourselves of accessible lilies and hydrangeas.

They had a penchant for pulling needles off Alberta Spruce, and they still do; how that represents a tasty treat is beyond understanding. And they're still devoted to the taste of violets, skilled at effortlessly plucking them out of the soil, roots intact, to then set about the delicious intention of eating roots, foliage and whatever other tasty parts remain.

We no longer try to restrain them, to put up shields to keep them out of questionable areas. They, at the very least, have themselves tamed their zest for all manner of plant matter and that's a huge relief.  We only have left a barrier in place which leads to the garden composters, in case one of the raccoons that frequents them happens to be around when our two are, at the same time.

It also helps that they listen to us much more assiduously, responding to messages of caution. Which has meant that finally we can take them off leash again when we're walking with them through the woodlands of the ravine. Previously, they would simply listen when it suited them, but if anyone else appeared on the trails they'd rush off in that direction, barking furiously. Now they're finally closing in on the idea that this isn't such a good thing to do, especially when we're ordering them to desist.

Our earlier unwelcome experiences with their becoming seriously ill at ingesting pathogens they swallowed with mould-covered detritus on the trails, sending us to the emergency veterinarian hospital repeatedly, convinced us they still needed to be walked on leash. It seems now that having reached and passed a year and a half of age, they're leaving impetuous puppyhood behind.

A time for us that was both dreadful and delightful. The delight remains, the dread is disappearing.