Dog Tired

Meet Jen, the young Alsatian pup I got closely acquainted with while walking the cut this afternoon. About four seconds after I took this picture, she bounded right on up to me, and clamped her jaws down on my right arm.

I've spent enough time around dogs to know that actual attacks are usually preceded by barking and growling, with considerably less scampering, and so this was probably what passed for playfulness among Alsatians. Indeed, she was nice enough not to have sunk her teeth into me, but rather just chomped aimlessly on my coat sleeve, before letting go and gnawing at my other arm instead. When her trainer popped his head out of the building, he confirmed my suspicion: iss onny cos her likes ya. Even so, this just served to heighten my concern about what Jen might bite into if she suddenly decided that she was feverishly in love with me.

I tried to take my leave at this point, but it was just too good a game for Jen to give up. To the despairing shouts of her trainer, I ended up walking the three hundred yards across the car park to the main road, trying to maintain as much dignity as possible, with a dog dangling from my forearm. I'd almost given up hope of shaking her loose when, a few yards from the gate, she suddenly spotted a puddle that desperately needed to be licked. I ran for it while her back was turned.

Oh, didn't we have a lovely time?