Mud bath.

A Brittany and a Greyhound make a comic sight when you're out walking them.

Saturday was hot so we took Goldie and Billy to the Merri Creek, a shady watercourse that is a tributary of the Yarra River. After a few kilometres we came to an enclosed football pitch where we let the dogs run off-leash.

Goldie needed no encouragement to tear around, typical Brittany she is; however Billy is a lazy greyhound and I usually have to run around like crazy in order to get him to do the same. Eventually he broke into a full gallop and did so for at least, oh, ten seconds.

The grass on the pitch was lush and green. In the middle was a round hole, a couple of feet across, for watering access. Above the pipe outlet, the hole was full of mud. Billy pawed at it, and then rolled himself in the mud. He stood up, chocolate brown from his nose to his tail. back home, I had to hose him down to return him to his pristine white-and-fawn state.