The Lads, and their love

These are my hounds, Rin-Tin-Tin and Salty. They rumble and growl, they snarl and they sneer, they love each other dearly. Salty has a particular squeal that Rinny respects as a safe word.

Rinny grooms the little bloke's skin, and fleas him with his teeth; Salty stands on the couch, or on a log to reach the big bloke's eyes, so he can gently lick them clean.

Rinny is a stick-man, Salty is a ball-boy. They share a bed, and in winter Salty colonises the big heaving arc described by Rinny's sleeping form. I have, however, arranged their living space so that each has zones where the other cannot go.

There are many dogs in my neighbourhood, and they all bark from time to time, mostly when the creepy guy up the road walks past. I like that about them.

One day a note arrived in my letterbox, written in capitals in thick blue texta with some (seemingly random) words underlined several times.

You're dogs tare each other a part!!!!!!
All day.

it said.

You are crule!! to put a small dog with a big!!
Separaite them or get rid of them!!!!

I built a higher gate and put the note in my expanding file, under 'T' for 'trouble', where I keep such things for future reference, just in case I ever have cause to show the police. A few weeks later, my nice neighbour, who drives a tow-truck, told me of an anonymous note that seemed to be about his young blue-heeler and his girlfriend's fox-terrier, written in angry blue texta.