Hands up those of you who remember All Creatures Great and Small, stories by James Herriot (3rd October 1916 – 23rd February 1995) about his days as a vet.
We were given one of his books last year and told to pass it on when we’d finished, so we put it up in the laundry library where it has been doing the rounds.
The residents up the road have a new neighbour.
Actually, several of the properties were sold last year so there are quite a few new faces, but this particular lady has a dog.
Ah, come to think of it several of the new people have dogs, so I guess it all comes down to breeding, and this one could well be a ‘star’.
I’ll give you a clue with this :
Question: What kind of dog can you see through a hole in the leg of your jeans?
Answer : A peek at knees.
Right. With me so far? OK. To proceed.
This dog is a ten year old rescue from Hong Kong by all accounts.
It is the owner’s pride and joy, she takes it walkies on the lid of a square shopping trolley (with blanket), and it’s fed on some designer dried food that seems to have carrots and peas in it.
We know this because we have seen it do the business, and she doesn’t always clear up, even though I discreetly offered her a bone shaped doggie bag holder you clip on the lead after she admired ours.
When we pass by her house (we can’t not), she comes outside to chat, offering Maggie a treat which we refuse as we’re not sure what it is and it could be too rich for her. The dog is not far behind, probably homing in on the smell of treats, that is if she hasn’t picked it up to introduce us (again).
We know she’s lonely as she does this to all residents and boaters alike should she see them. Normally we have the time to stop, but it’s difficult to make a fuss of her ‘baby’ when it is hard to tell whether the end you’re looking at has just sucked on a lemon or is about to relieve itself of constipation.
It is shaggy. It is fat. And somewhere underneath all that is a pair of eyes above a permanently snotty nose that gaze at you forlornly, pleading for a haircut so that it can see where it’s going.
I apologise in advance as I realise all dogs have a certain charm, but I do not see Pekes as cute I’m afraid, not even as pups, and I find all (other) pups adorable.
Hubby has kinda upset the woman though by insulting her dog. Not by being unkind or rude, but by getting her name wrong.
He says it just slipped out when he called her Tricky Woo as per the canine ‘heroine’ in the above novel.
It could have been worse I suppose (and no, the lady’s name is not Florence)
pensitivity101 
Loved that TV show – didn’t realize there were also books.
As per the dog, Saphera has a massive shedding problem going on at the moment, and it drives me to distraction. I can’t imagine having an even furrier dog – particularly one which front/back are not obvious.
There are loads of books, and I believe two films, All Creatures Great and Small and It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet.
Maggie is shedding too, and it’s driving us scatty. We brush her, brush the bedding, hoover, brush her some more, and still it gets everywhere. Still, at least we know one end from the other, bless.