Dowsing for dogs

No, of course we haven't gone and got a dog.  You didn't really believe that, did you?  Seriously, how long have you known me?  What on earth would possess me, or indeed anyone, to want an animal living in the house?

What's that?  You've just got a dog?  And you've got a new cat?  And even you've got your eye on an adorable little puppy/kitten/hamster (delete as applicable)?

Why oh why oh why?

I mean, it's not that I don't like animals - in fact I like them so much I don't even eat them.  I just don't want to live with one and have it chew up my stuff, fart under the table at mealtimes and need its poop picking up whenever it goes for a walk.  And don't tell me it teaches kids nurturing skills.  I know exactly who'd end up doing the "nurturing".

Nope, not for me. 

And BTW if I did, in a moment of madness, get a dog, I wouldn't choose a long-haired variety.  It's not like there aren't enough hairy creatures in our household already, yelping at me whenever I try to comb the knots out.



So, no. We were just looking after next door's old pooch while its owners were away for the weekend.  He's a nice enough, if diffident, little fellow. Well-behaved and no trouble really.  Well, I say that.  He was wandering about in our backyard and managed to get himself stuck under the deck. 

It's a big deck, with only one way under, not humanly accessible.  We had trouble locating him at all at first.  We had to employ ancient technologies...

He eventually appeared, trapped behind the trellis, and gazed at us inscrutably...

To extricate him we tried going state-of-the-art (we asked Siri how to get a dog out from under a deck.  She said she didn't know of any dog breeders near here.  Gee, thanks, Siri).

After twenty minutes or so the Boy, with much coaxing, managed to lure the doggie out with half a biscuit. 

Back in the house he kept an eye out for his owners. When they came to collect him this evening he shot out of our front door without a backward glance.  As a house-guest he was so silent and capable of merging into the background that you could actually trip over him while looking for him, and yet now the Boy is going around sighing and claiming that "The house just feels too quiet without him!"