dogs

A black dog with a terrible skin condition lay at my feet. I gave him a rub with my booted foot, not wanting to touch his hair or skin, yet not wanting to deprive him of affection. Later, when I was sitting down, he came to stand by my side. I looked carefully at his greying muzzle and coat and I knew that he was dying. Two more dogs appeared, both tawny and healthy looking. The bigger dog, although quite ferocious looking, was immediately friendly and demonstrative. I asked her to sit and she obeyed. We repeated the command a few times and each time she delighted in sitting. She was easily trained and very smart. The other tawny dog, a much quieter character, happily sat to one side. The tawny dogs were respectful of the black dog but gave him a wide berth. I hoped that the dying process would be swift and painless for the old dog.