Wednesday 11th June 2008

Alfie yesterday

I’ve been wondering whether or not I’m superstitious. If I see a black cat cross in front of me I don’t think it’s good luck I just think it’s an opportunity to chase it. In general I don’t go round touching wood to ward off anything going wrong, I’m usually too busy chewing the wood in question. Which all brings me round to wondering what I think about Friday the 13th. Should I stay in bed on Friday and avoid the risk of anything happening in my life? Or if I do that is there a chance I will miss out on something really good? It’s a tough call as a dog deciding what to believe in. You talk to other dogs about it only to find they’ve never given it any thought. There are no obvious precedents. If you went up to the neighbourhood Jack Russell and said, “What do you do if someone spills some salt?” he’s either going to say lick it up or pee on it. What he isn’t going to say is throw a pinch over my left shoulder. For a start have you ever picked up a pinch of anything using a paw? Not so easy when you think about it. I can’t even cross my fingers, I don’t have any. The more I think about it the more I believe that dogs should actually have their own set of superstitions that relate only to their own species. I’d like to advocate that it is unlucky to sleep with your whole body in the bed, this is to cover the fact that part of me is always hanging over the edge, however big the bed is. I also think it is unlucky to pass a tree without peeing on it. Oh I can do better than that. I’ve just thought of a way to justify my disobedience. I think it is unlucky for dogs to sit in wet grass. I might try telling the others that at dog training next week and see if it catches on.