Pea sticks

I met Tim the Gardener on Offa's Dyke path this morning. That is, I saw Quink, Athene English's black labrador, charging up the path towards Islay, and then saw Tim behind her in the distance.
"Where's Biscuit?" I asked, as he drew level. Biscuit is Athene's other dog, quite a bit older than Quink. Tim walks them a lot for Athene.
"Tired," Tim said. "She didn't want to come out. Athene's been going out riding, and she keeps up very well, but it takes it out of her now."
He'd already taken them both out earlier in the morning, but now he was looking for pea sticks, and thought that the dogs may as well come with him. He's already found a big pile of brash down the lane to the Warren, where the hedges have been trimmed. "I got a good stack of them," he said, "but they're not terribly tall. I'm looking for some leggy hazel now. My sweet peas grow about eight feet tall!"

Later in the day, I was walking down past the Launderette with Islay when I saw a quick movement on the other side of the lane. At first I thought it was a squirrel down from the castle - but then I got a good look at it. It was about the same size as a squirrel, but black, and the tail was all wrong. It scampered past a couple of parked cars, and down the alley way round the castle to the car park in the middle of town. Islay whimpered when she saw it, but she didn't go after it.
The only thing I can think that it might me is a mink!