Posting days: Sunday and Wednesday and, sometimes, maybe, extra ‘news flashes’!

Sunday May 1st 2016

Human enters left from kitchen. Dog has had her walk and her tea. She’s feeling sleepy. As always, she lies across the futon. A meagre triangle of space can be seen to Dog’s right. A very meagre triangle, scarcely one buttock size.

I suppose that’s for me.

S – t – r- e- t – c – h

Sigh.

Human ponders the situation. When it’s ready, Human could, of course, take her meal into the front room. But there’s no radio in there. And there are no comfortable seats because the webbing has disintegrated.

Dog can be induced to move. True, she will growl and snarl, but a gentle shove will prompt her to shuffle a few inches.

But then she will retaliate by dancing boisterously on the futon. Jolt. Jolt. Jolt. This does not create the ambience one would wish for. Neither is it an aid to one’s digestion.

But wait. What’s this? As Human returns to kitchen, Dog follows for a drink of water.

Flash quick, Human dives out of kitchen, rushes up to futon and reserves a fair share of the space for herself by propping up wall of cushions.

Dog returns.

Sniff-sniff. Hurrumph.

Human advances into room bearing plate. With one hand she balances plate carefully on pile of miscellaneous clutter which decorates coffee table. With the other she twitches off place reserving cushions.

Dog’s pink and black spotty nose twitches. Food is close by.

Taking great care not to disturb Dog, Human slides into her  space.

As she eats, she takes great pains to sit stone still. It is essential to avoid allowing a restless limb to touch sleeping Dog. Dog does not enjoy being touched when she is sleeping. No doubt she has her reasons. Any dog is vulnerable when asleep. A deaf/blind dog is incredibly vulnerable. Something might be about to devour her.

Human finishes eating and leans forward. She replaces her plate on coffee table jumble, and leans back (carefully) to relax (carefully).

But plate begins to slide. Instinctively, she shoots forward to intercept its inevitable descent to floor.

Inadvertantly, her thigh touches end of Dog’s tail.

N-gerr- grerrr-er! Nyaff! Nyaff! NYAFF. NYAFF. NY-A-A-A-FF.

Sigh.

Isis came from the Aeza cat and dog rescue and adoption centre in Aljezur, Portugal. For information about adopting an animal from the centre, contact kerry@aeza.org or  www.dogwatchuk.co.uk