Currently in Chez Whipsnade there are a few noses out of joint. Four to be precise.
After a late night last night I enjoyed a sleep in, surprising myself by only waking just after eleven. As Pepsi had held on for twelve hours I leapt up, dressed rapidly and took her out for her morning constitutional. Only when I returned did I switch my phone on.
Two minutes after doing so I received a message that had been sent nearly three hours earlier asking if I was in the Boxue building (the foreign language teaching block) as the unidentified sender had found an injured dog and could I help? Feeling unnecessarily guilty at having been asleep, I replied and was told the dog had disappeared but the student would try later to find it. If she (at that point I had no idea of the sex) found it could I keep it in my home for six days until she could take it to her parents’ place in the national holiday? Hoping of course that the dog was wild and wouldn’t wish to be caught, I agreed. I am viewed as a Johnny Morris character here who can heal any animal, completely irrationally.
Stone me if after I finished afternoon classes and got back home, the student didn’t ask me my room number because she had got the dog! It was impossible for me to refuse so I waited to see how wild and how big the mutt was. Two girls turned up with a sorry looking specimen about half the size of Pepsi. To my horror it is male and of course Pepsi hasn’t been spayed. Not long after they arrived Cinny sent a message asking if she could bring two of her students to see the dog. Bearing in mind it has clearly had an owner because it was wearing a harness, I hoped it was so she could identify it and return it to its rightful owner. No such luck, she just wanted to see him.
The dog, who I have named Teddy for now, clearly hasn’t been maltreated by humans as he is quite precocious and demands a lot of attention. He has however been given a haircut for the summer (presumably) but my guess is the wound on his flank was caused by another dog and there are bald patches which may or not be my old enemy, mange. I have iodine, cream and mange spray so he has been treated with those and seems perfectly happy to be here although he does follow me absolutely everywhere which made taking Pepsi to the shops problematic in that I had to coax her out of the flat whilst keeping him inside.
I hate to do this to him for he is an affectionate little thing but I can’t risk yet more puppies being produced so when I am asleep or not here when Pepsi is, he will be living in the bathroom. I am now praying that when I shut him in at night he doesn’t bark! And of course in the middle of the night when I need to get up for the loo I just hope I remember he’s in there and he doesn’t slip past me.
If it wasn’t for the school’s one child policy I would be tempted to keep him. Having him neutered would be a quarter of the cost of having Pepsi done. He’s a lovely little chap and even now as I type he is sitting patiently at my feet. The other family members of course are in high dudgeon, with Pepsi exhibiting very plain jealousy.
Kevin thinks I am mad but then he can refuse for any number of reasons. If I do when it is universally known - and has been broadcast on local TV and in the papers - as someone who loves animals, how can I? The students come to me with anything animal related and although I can say I am only supposed to have one dog it would hardly put me in a good light when it is only for six days.
The extra mouth to feed is not a problem. Getting out with one dog and leaving the other behind is, as would even thinking of taking two dogs on an e-bike be! Of course the morning, lunchtime and evening walks will now involve Teddy being on a lead as I have no idea if he would return to me when called, even though I think possibly he would. I can only think he either ran away - doubtful considering the way he is with me - or the owner decided they couldn’t afford the treatment he needs.
But why me???
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