The howling keeps Dan and Dottie awake most nights, but, fortunately, no-one else. You have to drive a mile out of the village to find the Whimsey Kennels, Cattery and Pet Cemetery. Out here, where there are no close neighbours to annoy, the yelps and caterwauls are carried away on the prevailing winds.
Dan and Dottie advertise their business as a one-stop shop for everything pet-related. They’ll deliver bulky items to your door - everything from hamster bedding to tins of butcher’s tripe. They’ll look after your dog, cat, parrot or iguana while you’re on holiday. And they’ll be there, with respect, sensitivity and the practicalities, when a favourite pet passes on. They can organise a short, non-denominational service at the graveside, a discreet bural and the siting of a small headstone. Though it’s never easy to find the right words to express the grief of losing a much-loved family pet, Dan and Dottie have years of experience. For example, on the grave of Jean’s poodle, sadly involved in a traffic accident last week, is a newly-erected stone. The inscription is a model of tact and brevity: ‘Fluffy, flattened too soon’.
Business is good, because everyone in Whimsey seems to have a dog these days. Unsurprisingly, Bob was the first to notice the upward trend. Having the occasional dog snapping at his heels is all part of a day’s work for a village postman, but now they’re everywhere. We’ve got big dogs, small dogs, friendly dogs, savage dogs, dogs that look like wolves and dogs that wait, with infinite forbearance, for a postman’s fingers to appear momentarily through the letterbox, before clamping on with needle-sharp teeth.
Though most people are responsible, some owners, too idle to take their dogs for a proper walk, just boot their pooches out of the door. This ensures that pavements are transformed into slippery skid-pans. Walking from one end of the village to the other, while avoiding the dog-shit, requires some nifty footwork; it makes people look like they're auditioning for Riverdance…
No comments:
Post a Comment