Only when you get up close to a Great Dane do you realise just how big those dogs are. There were two being coaxed along the alleyway across the yard last night. The pair of them just about filled the pathway. Nice horses, I quipped as I strolled past. At least these two dog owners won't get attacked by urban foxes.

The curious thing though is that the owners expected me to be scared stiff of them. Why? Both dogs were behaving themselves. After all, there was an occaision when I decided to photograph one. I asked the owner who was playing with her kids in Lydiard Park, and she said fine, no problem, the dog was okay with strangers.

As I knelt down to get the best angle, the great dane wondered what I was up to. I tried to get the dog to stay still but it got even more curious, and possibly even a little annoyed, because it walked toward me and stared me in the face. Not a good moment. It wasn't being aggressive or anything, just not friendly, and I sort of got the impression that a retreat was the sensible thing. As it happened the owner rescued me and had the dog lay down on the grass. Phew. Pic taken.

Had the dog gone for me, I would have been in deep trouble. I remember seeing one great dane at full gallop at Coate Water coming toward me along the footpath. A very unnerving experience, even if it did rush past without so much as a second glance.

Faster!

Last night I was off down the internet cafe, and ahead of me was an old chap I see sometimes. His corgi is probably as old as he is, and neither of them can do more than shuffle forward. Nonetheless, he smacked the dog lightly with the end of the leash and told the poor dog to get moving. Not sure if it worked or not...

Also Available In Pink

Some of you might have heard about a cat in Swindon that was dyed pink by some idiot for a laugh. That woman a few months ago who dropped a cat in a wheelie bin also said she did it just for a joke. Why do people do things like this?

It isn't as if cats are a problem. They don't pounce on us humans anymore, having gotten too small and cute to eat us for lunch, and generally the only gripe we have with cats is their malicious treatment of our gardens, or perhaps how much food they scrounge off the local neighbourhood. And they still manage to stay slim. Have you ever seen some old age pensioner whipping his cat for being too slow?