Saturday 11th October, 2014             1300

Well the new addition is certainly making his presence felt (assuming I have sexed him correctly). He is terrorising the other two and even has Pepsi scuttling for cover. Little bugger is constantly trying to get into the bedroom and doesn’t realise that by sticking like glue to me when I am walking that he could easily end up flat. Assuming I am now stuck with him, he has been christened Zorro on account of the black mask he has.

I have just had an exchange of messages with Kevin when he asked if the language lovers society had forgotten to ask me to take a turn on the recruitment stall. I said they hadn’t forgotten and I had agreed to go tomorrow morning and had confirmed it only yesterday. When I was initially told it was taking place this weekend I did opine that it was a silly time to do it when it is a normal teaching day due to the recent holiday. This prompted an indignant response because he is there and he is also teaching, plus they are my freshmen students. I had to remind him that I was there last year when they were his. Trying to lay a guilt trip on me rarely works and anyway to be honest I would far rather have stayed in bed all day today, that’s how I feel at present.

A few days ago I learnt of the latest campus fact/rumour concerning me. Over the past four years there have been many outrageous ones but this is the best yet. Apparently I am a frequent visitor to East and West Streets in the evenings and take liberal advantages of the favours of the girls working the night shift. I would dearly love to know how these things are started considering I have only ever been to either street to shop or eat and haven’t even done those things for about a year.

1800

This morning one of my students rang Kevin at 0700 saying they had found an injured dog. They had tried calling me first but of course my phone was off. Kevin told them he couldn’t do anything but when I switched my phone on later I had a message from the girl and so called her. By then she and her friends had called the vet to come out and I am immensely proud to say that they were perfectly willing to foot the bill for a wild dog. Not all Chinese are as callous as portrayed. I said I would ride down and take a look at it once I had showered but ten minutes later I was told the vet had been.

The vet (I found out later the same one I use all the time) took it away then brought it back with some medicine and returned it to the three girls. I only found this out this afternoon as one of the girls was in that class and she asked me to come and take a look after we finished. The poor little thing had been in a box under the stairs all day alone.

They had found it that morning in one of the teaching buildings on the fourth floor with a bloody muzzle and blood on the floor. I would love to know what happened, for this thing is just a few days old - its eyes haven’t opened yet - and it’s highly unlikely a bitch about to whelp would go up there where there is great human activity to do so. She would find somewhere secluded and sheltered.

Anyway, working on the premise that the mother who this mite so desperately needs for nourishment would not have only had one pup, we went in vain to search for the nest so as to leave her with her siblings. The situation as it stands is I think my students concealed her in a box and smuggled her into their dorm where apparently using a syringe they have managed to get some medication and cows milk into her. I have told them it will need feeding every few hours and that if she survives the night (I will be astonished if she does) they can bring her here and put her in the spare bedroom away from the other animals and I will give them a key so they can let themselves in and feed her. I don’t mind doing it before bedtime and first thing in the morning but I can’t commit to doing it all day. Fingers crossed but I anticipate sad news in the morning.