Chet’s Chatter

Mortimer

Posted on 28 April 2006 @ 18:21 in Travels

The first thing Mel had asked me after fetching me from the train station, and after we’d hugged and marvelled at how it’s 17 years since we last saw each other, was whether I like dogs.

Turns out she has a dog and since I was going to be staying at her place, I had better like dogs. Good thing I do.

His name is Mortimer and he’s a 12-year-old Cairn Terrier that she’s had since he was a puppy the size of her palm.

But while I like dogs, I’m not used to sharing living space with them. So for the duration of my stay, he had to lend me his bedroom, which is actually the living room (it’s a one-bedroom flat).

The first night, he was led to the bedroom.

The second night, he stayed in his cushion bed in the living room so Mel had to carry him and the bed into the bedroom.

The third night, he walked into the bedroom of his own accord.

I was away in Norwich the next two nights, and returned to the flat before they did on the sixth night. When they got back (Mel takes him to the office), he looked at me with an expression that seemed to say “Oh, you’re back, are you?”

When I next saw Mel at the UK LRC, I asked if Mortimer showed any signs of missing me, and she replied he was not the sort of dog to miss anyone. I never saw him again because when I returned from the UK LRC, it was in the afternoon when he was at “work” and I had to leave before they returned that evening.

During the short time we shared living space, I had the pleasure of seeing Mortimer get a fur cut, having him sit quietly at my feet, as well as taking a walk in the park with him on a cold and wet morning. He also learned early that I was a good petter, and whenever he saw me, would flop on his side for me to stroke his belly fur.