Peaches as Potential Snack

Since our journey to the Gerbil Festival, Ian is regularly seen walking around with a small, furry creature scurrying along his outstretched arms, or otherwise on his head or shoulder. I think children should have an animal as part of their regular uniform, and Ian is clearly very happy with his new, enhanced look.

However, unnecessary risks are sometimes taken along the way. Sometimes the dogs are in close proximity while Peaches is in some makeshift temporary pen or walking on or near Ian's body, and of course this makes me very nervous. I have given Ian a speech about how the gerbil is rather like the Gingerbread Man, and the dogs are rather like the Fox, and can snap their neck around at any unexpected moment to claim a snack.

But some people only learn from experience...

Two mornings ago, Ian came over to me and complained that "one of the dogs" had tried to eat Peaches, and that he had taken him from the dog's mouth. At the time, he was couching in his hand a small, miserable looking gerbil, with fur still wet from the encounter. I knew which dog had to be the culprit - partly because he's the crazier, more spontaneous of the two dogs, and partly from the omission of his name. If Ruthie had done the deed, her name would be all over the place amidst bitter recriminations, but because the culprit was Ian's dog - probably partly out of shame and partly out of dignity on Golden's behalf, the name was withheld from publication.

But I had to ask. Which dog?

"Someone who its name starts with a 'G', but Ruthie looked like she wanted to steal it from him."

Even now, the malefactor's name could not be uttered. And yet, the Dog of Darkness (as distinct from Golden, the Dog of Light) was guilty of the almost-as-heinous crime, in this case a thought crime, of wanting to intercept the booty.

Miraculously, Peaches is fine.

(May 7, 2011)