Jessie
I met a homeless man and his dog this afternoon, at a bus stop on Ainslie Av. They were sharing a sausage roll when I turned up and sat down, feeling slightly awkward while he (rather obviously) sized me up.
"Got any bicuits, miss?"
Que? Not what I'd expected, by half.
I must have looked as bewildered as I felt, since he quickly clarified - his border collie, Jessie, liked biscuits - did I have any? Her favourite, apparently, are Anzacs. Sad to say, I didn't, because she really was a beautiful, friendly dog. Except for a cursory glance as I sat down, she didn't peel her eyes from his face until he urged, "Say hello, Jess!" whereupon I was promptly smothered in doggie kisses. I know people worry about homeless people keeping pets - if they can't feed themselves, how will they feed a pet? She was, it's true, a bit underweight, but she was also shiny, happy and alert, and I can't imagine she'd cope well with being separated from her human. Besides, who's to say she's not all that's keeping him this side of lucid? I've heard of an American charity that provides vet care for the pets of homeless people. I wonder if there's any similar set-up here, but I'm sure the RSPCA would rather just confiscate dogs like Jessie.
I'm tempted to carry some Anzac biscuits around with me in future, so I'll have a treat for Jessie, should I run into them again.
"Got any bicuits, miss?"
Que? Not what I'd expected, by half.
I must have looked as bewildered as I felt, since he quickly clarified - his border collie, Jessie, liked biscuits - did I have any? Her favourite, apparently, are Anzacs. Sad to say, I didn't, because she really was a beautiful, friendly dog. Except for a cursory glance as I sat down, she didn't peel her eyes from his face until he urged, "Say hello, Jess!" whereupon I was promptly smothered in doggie kisses. I know people worry about homeless people keeping pets - if they can't feed themselves, how will they feed a pet? She was, it's true, a bit underweight, but she was also shiny, happy and alert, and I can't imagine she'd cope well with being separated from her human. Besides, who's to say she's not all that's keeping him this side of lucid? I've heard of an American charity that provides vet care for the pets of homeless people. I wonder if there's any similar set-up here, but I'm sure the RSPCA would rather just confiscate dogs like Jessie.
I'm tempted to carry some Anzac biscuits around with me in future, so I'll have a treat for Jessie, should I run into them again.