He’s not heavy, he’s my Buddy
(Suzy and the new dog: Glasgow, Scotland)
I skyped with Ying today and he noticed the wallpaper was different in the video background. “Hello, Suzy!” he called, recognizing the different surroundings as her flat. “Suzy’s not here”, I replied. “Oh, OH! You’re babysitting the dog!” Suzy and her husband are getting a dog, hence his excitement at seeing the new canine. “Um… nope, there’s no dog here either.” A conundrum; I had been left holding the house whilst Suzy collected the dog from the rescue centre. I was waiting on a delivery of very important items including a large dog bed, bowls, toys and other dog related ephemera. The items were to be delivered at around the same time as she had to leave to collect the dog, so I babysat the house. Or house sat.
I spent my afternoon lounging on their sofa, enjoying the open luxuriousness of my plush surroundings. I do not have a sofa at all, or a living room so I utilised them both to great effect. I raided their fridge and switched the television on (just because I could) but it being daytime, there was a surfeit of egregious characters being paid to irritate so I left that to return to my work. Suzy and ‘Buddy’ finally returned and he spent the following hour playing, exploring, chewing the rug, leaving snail trails of mucus on our clothing and looking up at us in a comical manner. He’s really very sweet, but I instantly realised that I definitely don’t want a dog as a pet. I have no doubt that they are rewarding companions but I’m not sure I would want a lodger in my home that I couldn’t ask to leave if I was having a party or if my grandmother was visiting. A dog might turn into an annoying little brother, but I suppose equally, he might turn into an (albeit rather fragrant) irreplaceable best friend. Needless to say, Suzy is thrilled with him and I sense a long and happy friendship growing between them. Hopefully I might get to take on some of the more charming aspects of dog care; walkies, walkies and playing. Not sure I’ll ever be ready to pick up my best friend’s effluent from a park in a sandwich bag.
– Today Rosie is meeting her gran – we’re on a mission to buy slippers in Glasgow, Scotland –
This is news at it’s best. Encore!