When we arrived in Morocco we were seeing our surroundings through European eyes. We were shocked to see on the outskirts of every community fly tipping and piles of household litter. Areas of wasteland were alive with feral cats and dogs, breeding without hindrance. We realised that in a week or two these sights would become the norm and we, like most Moroccans, would no longer be shocked by the mountains of rubbish casually discarded in that beautiful country.
At Asilah camp site, our flea-ridden feral dog continued its friendly overtures, despite our efforts to discourage it. When we sat outside it would quietly settle nearby, watching us with its mismatched eyes -but not begging for food. When we set off for a walk to the beach he assumed he had been invited to come along. As soon as we moved off he pranced excitedly beside us and accompanied us, crossing the busy main road, to the beach.
Judging from the hundreds of paw prints in the sand, the beach was the place where a large group of feral dogs spent their time. “Our Dog” did a large poo in the middle of the beach then followed us on our walk along the beach. When the creature was far enough ahead we did a quick turnabout hoping to lose it but he soon caught up with us and proudly accompanied us back to the campsite.
When it was time for us to move on, “Our Dog” ran alongside the truck until we turned out into the road. We didn’t look back in case he was still following!
We stopped at a garage to top up with diesel fuel (£1.26 a litre). Tony spotted a driver repairing a puncture. His vehicle wasn’t well maintained and his wheel nuts were stuck fast. Tony lent him his Torque Multiplier (designed for the older man) which increased the torque tenfold enabling the struggling driver to remove the jammed wheel nuts. The driver was very grateful for Tony’s assistance. Tony heard a loud banging coming from the interior of the truck. The driver told him that he was transporting four horses. All the time the vehicle was on the move the horses were quiet but started to become agitated as soon as the truck came to a halt.
