It's five in the morning. Let's play.

Well, he is only two years old. He's still a puppy.

Sailor the foster greyhound wakes at about five and runs around trying to wake everyone else up. I let him out to pee then he comes back in expecting everyone to be up and about. Well, you do when you're a pup.

Except no-one is up. So Sailor bounces up to Goldie (13 this year) and tries to get her going, thrusts a paw at her or gives her a playful nip while she's asleep on her sumptuous tartan mattress, well-stuffed and probably more comfortable than my bed.

The growl starts somewhere deep down, probably near her stomach or somewhere, and rumbles slowly up through her chest. It's like distant thunder. She doesn't even open her eyes.

Sailor steps back as if he's seen an apparition or been stung by a bee.

Then he slowly returns to his bed and goes back to sleep. It's no fun being awake and all alone.

No fun at all.

*

He has very pale pinkish skin under his black and white coat, pinker than most, it appears to me. Maybe that's why he has a sunburnt nose. Yesterday he had a sore foot as well, couldn't take him for a walk. He was limping around like a old soldier. I examined his foot, couldn't see anything. Sometimes it's a minute shard of glass or a prickle; other times they hurt themselves doing their mad minute. Sailor's mad minute lasts about four minutes, so ther'es plenty of opportunity for him to maybe strain a tendon or hurt a muscle. We usually give them the twenty-four-hour test - see if they're still limping next day.

This morning the limp had gone and he was as good as gold.