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May 2020 May 2020

I am a Bere Regis Village Dog
BERE REGIS WI
I am a Bere Regis village dog, born and bred that is. Not actually born in the
village but somewhere between here and Salisbury Market. My mother started
whelping just as the sheep were loaded up for the market. She was put in the When most people think about the WI, they think
back of the van and I turned up a little bit later. I am now eleven years old and of coffee mornings and jam sales at village fetes.
am now on my third owner in the village. In fact, there’s much more to the WI than that.
When founded in 1918, the WI was seen as a real
I have watched all the twists and turns in opportunity for empowering women at a time when very few of them
village life but there is definitely a change participated in public life. From these early days, the WI took a democratic and
just lately. I have noticed very odd co-ordinated approach to organising
behavior in humans. A few weeks ago at and mobilising woman and, through
the end of a bridge session in the Royal local WI groups, women learnt to
Oak, my owner and her bridge chair meetings, serve on committees
companions were doing this strange and built their confidence in public
dance touching elbows together. They speaking – all skills which would equip
obviously thought it was funny as they them for a changing world, and
were laughing. I had to laugh at the sight stand them in good stead for
of four elderly grey haired people doing a participating in other areas of public
jig knocking elbows. It seems this was life.
instead of shaking hands or kissing. Search me. They never kiss anyway.
This approach endured, seeing the
I observed my owner gargling with TCP. What, horrible smelling stuff, she is mad.
It obviously wasn’t very nice. She stopped doing this after she was told it was WI offer British women training in
democratic systems and the exercise
totally ineffective against a virus. I think she was quite glad about that. She still of the vote. It also enabled
ate the honey though
members, many of whom had little
Since then the news has been on constantly, and my owner has stopped taking prior experience – at least outside the
me to the Pop In and the pubs. I miss the biscuits. I discovered over the years home – of exerting power, to exercise
that if you look really cute or ever so hungry, bar staff will give you a biscuit, works influence.
every time. I might lose some weight as I am getting more walks from my owner This approach continues today, with
and the dog walker. Some mornings my joints are so the WI resolutions process offering every WI member the opportunity to put
stiff I have a job to get up for the first canine comfort
walk of the day. My owner is getting up later and forward a resolution on issues concerning them, and to decide on which
resolutions will form the basis of national WI campaigns. Since the first resolution,
spending more time on the computer but she has not which focused on ‘the need for a sufficient supply of convenient and sanitary
left me alone for over three weeks. When we do go housing’, was passed in October 1918, WI members have embraced a diverse set
for a walk she always stops and talks but always at a of challenges – from equal pay to food waste, women on jury service and women
distance and the talk is sombre and serious.
in the police.
My owner has been knitting and doing art work and The key current campaigns are:
other projects. She has done a self Portrait. She has
even done my portrait. It’s a terrible likeness but  5 Minutes that Matter which seeks to raise awareness of the importance of
might look better if she finished it. She might finish attending routine cervical screening
something yet. She is so busy doing stuff she never
does any housework but who knows there may be a  Get on Board for a Better Bus Service which aims to raise awareness of the
tidy house and the garden shed will be done when all importance of local bus services and calls on both local and national
of this is over

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