Sunday 15 January 2012

Appreciating Incs.

'Something more constructive,’ I said. So what should I write about, since I’m not in a particularly constructive, nor even destructive, mood at the moment? I’m in one of those limbo states in which even my favoured bete noir, The Politician, is failing to raise my ire.

The Muse of Inspiration made a rare visit, whispered in my ear, and suggested I give over a whole blog post to one very captivating little lady: Inca, Sarah’s Cocker Spaniel.

‘How should I love thee? Let me count the ways.’ OK, let’s not go overboard on this, but the fact is that of all the dogs I’ve known, little Incs really does occupy a rare and special place.

Cocker Spaniels are not big dogs, and Inca is smaller than the average for her breed, but there’s nothing of the little dog syndrome about her – nothing yappy or snappy, nothing pretentiously aggressive, no trying to be something she isn’t. Neither does she have the boisterousness of the big dog, or the haughty elegance of the Weimeraner or Afghan Hound. Inca is simply and authentically open, confident, happy, loving and sweet as a sugar lump. And yet she displays a fine balance of temperament, which is maybe what takes her the extra yard in the rarity stakes. There is an unpretentious swagger about her walk, an instinct for exploring that all proper dogs have, and just a hint of wilfulness to preclude any misapprehension of lapdog sub-status.

I was talking to Sarah once, and looked down to see Incs sitting pertly between my feet. She had an ‘I’m with this guy’ look, and that was when I fell in love with her.

They say that dogs reflect their humans, don’t they? So does that mean we can read something of the inner human from the temperament of the dog? Who can say?

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