New Acquaintances

         One of the many benefits of the pandemic, apart from a great deal of fresh air, has been the ability to meet new acquaintances. Some, of course, are unfriendly, indeed hostile, others are effusive in their welcome. Alan, for example, will greet me like an old long lost friend.  His two friends are, on the other hand, a mite stand-offish. Rollo views my approach with blind indifference. He eventually sets aside his neutrality and gives himself up to a Davidson greeting. Spencer and Riley always walk together. Spencer is open-hearted and friendly. His buddy, Riley, lets Spencer do the socialising. Rex takes extra notice of me but has a much greater interest in squirrels. Pepper talks a mile a minute and not all of it is friendly. Max is far too young to be bothered by an old fogey like me. He would be easily diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder but to me he is simply young and everything is interesting, albeit only for seconds. Max is always seeking the next best thing to move onto. Finally there is my favourite, Ash. He will never pass unless I make a fuss. His whole body language is affectionate and appreciative.

     So, Dear Reader, if you have not realised it yet, these are all dogs. It occurred to me the other day that after months of meeting and greeting these wonderful bundles of fun I should really get to know the names of their owners ! So now I know Jim, Rob, Catherine and ‘Nissan’ Mike and am working on matching names to faces before very long. It will be difficult to lift my eyes from dog height particularly in the case of young Alan who firmly believes that I am his long lost brother returning from a decade away! I first met him when he came barrelling towards me out of the dark, arriving with force at my arthritic right knee! Yes, it is possible to manage a smile and muster some joy. Such bonhomie brooks an affected nonchalance at the perfidy of pain.

Our son, Grant, has recently moved home for a couple of months. He has brought Frank with him. Frankie is a mixture of Staffordshire terrier, pit bull and something else. He is three years old and is a rescue dog. He suffers from separation anxiety. He used to howl when Grant left him with us. Now he sits at the window with undistracted focus until his master returns. When he does there is a jumping, joyous celebration. We have a cat called Isobel. We have not allowed her to meet Frankie. We are sure the dog would view the cat with blind indifference but the cat would likely not view the dog thus. So Isobel is shut away when Frankie is about. But she does get daily and nightly freedom as the dog goes to work with his master and sleeps in his bedroom.

   As those of you who are pet owners will know there is nothing like a pet. My morning experiences have reminded me of a saying by Winston Churchill:-

“A cat looks down on you, a dog looks up to you but a pig treats you as an equal”.

I think that most of us, Dear Reader, are fans of the idea of equality. Personally I like my early mornings beset by dogs making me feel important; my evenings overtaken by a cat seeking selfish warmth and a punctual supper. But, friends, I might have to rethink my ideas of equality if it involves pigs!

Stay safe, friends, and thanks again for reading.