Two Solitudes . . .

Stopped at the dog park this morning, where a dozen hounds had taken their owners for exercise. The contrast in agility was a delight to watch: the dogs charged through the bitter chill like demented, well, er, dogs . . . while their owners were as agile as statues, bleary eyes visible beneath woolly hats, skouched shoulders hunched reluctantly into thick overcoats.

This dog found the answer to owner lethargy. Grabbing a stick, it galloped towards us, braked sharply and released the unguided missile. Then, carefully calculating airspeed and trajectory, it caught the stick, dashed it to earth and ripped it apart, all in one swift movement. Then it repeated the actions, pausing only to glance wistfully at the statues, hoping for a sign of approval . . .