Friday, May 15, 2015

Mr.Affable loses his cool.


Bob is a pretty affable fellow. The sort of tail wagging dog who greets visitors in the eternal hope that they might be bringing sausages ... or bacon. All the more surprising that while I was away a very different side to him was on display.

On Tuesday afternoon a man arrives at the front gate. A local farmer selling onions. Bob immediately goes wild. He throws himself at the gate. The affable family fellow snarling like a thing possessed. Sophie follows suit although being ferocious isn't her forte. Faced with two suddenly feral dogs 'The Font' apologises to the visitor and asks him to come another day. Afterwards Bob stands on his stump seat barking for all of five minutes to make absolutely sure the man has gone.


Yesterday the reason for this uncharacteristic behaviour becomes apparent. Madame Bay informs us that this farmer allows his two bitches to breed every year. He keeps one dog from each litter and then drowns the rest in a water barrel. France, it must be remembered, is a country where until this year animals had no rights .


Can dogs judge character ? 

Angus must admit to being quite happy if certain folk think we have 'chiens mechants'. There are some people, like the onion seller, one doesn't want to see ever again. 

The PON's bad manners are forgiven.



22 comments:

Kerrie Roberts said...

Always trust your dog's instincts !

WFT Nobby said...

Well done Bob. You are a fine Family Fellow, indeed.

Bella Roxy & Macdui said...

Trust your dog. Good work, Bob!

Unfortunately, that disposing of unwanted pups happens here, too. So sad.

Julie said...

Well done Bob, that was exactly the correct reaction

VirginiaC said...

Dogs are very perceptive.... they are very good judges of character....ask me how I know.
I have paid attention over the years to my dogs behaviour towards some of my so-called "friends"....they were always right, and I dropped many of those "friends" along the way.
Brownie goes ballistic when one of my "friends" comes over....and I've been slowly avoiding them until I'm sure they'll get the memo.
Dogs have some innate detection that works way better than a psychic/mentalist.
Well done Bob....who wants to buy onions from someone like that? The Font was well protected while you were away Mongoose.

Anonymous said...

Good boy Bob.
We once discovered a black plastic bag whilst on a walk not far from the Convent; no further description necessary I think. A memory I wish I didn't have. I wish neutering would become more commonplace in rural France.

Angus said...

There are aspects to life in rural France that are best glossed over.

Kari said...

Good show, Bob! You are a very fine fellow indeed.
We think Bob's manners were excellent and totally appropriate . No onions from this evil man for your table. May the seller rot in hell. Extra saussage for Bob.

10NISNE1 said...

Such a good boy!

kmp said...

very good judge! We have found that my Edgar, a Scottie, barks at far less intrusions, noises, visitors, etc. when just he and my fiance are home. But if I am there, he can sound quite ferocious. I speculate that he is guarding me - Perhaps Bob was protecting the Font in your absence?

Anonymous said...

I've always trusted my dogs' behaviors around others. If they don't like someone there is usually a good reason, just that it wasn't obvious to me initially. Good job Bob!

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

It reminds me of the quote, "If your dog doesn't like someone you probably shouldn't either."

When good news may be needed about saving dogs, did you see the article this week about the 36 Golden Retrievers that had been abandoned in Turkey coming to Atlanta?
Here's the link - http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/05/12/inspiration-nation-golden-retriever-rescue-turkey/27176145/

Duke and Petite-Chose at 2G said...

What a wonderful guard dog Bob is - he must have sensed that the evil onion seller had blood on his hands. What a despicable man, and his poor bitches, breeding every year.. No doubt they will share the same fate as the pups when their breeding days are over. We hope that word gets round and he can't sell his onions anywhere.
Good to know that the PONs are keeping 'The Font' safe when you're away, Angus.

MrsDuncanMahogany said...

I am absolutely sure the PON's knew...dogs have such canny instincts. Well done to the pair of them! I'd turn that one away in a heartbeat. Onions can be bought elsewhere.

Emm said...

What they all said. There are any numbers of stories about how dogs sensed the bad of a person before the people did. And Bob was doing Guard Dog Duty.

Well done, Bob.

Anonymous said...

True quote!

Vicki said...

Bravo to Bob! I agree that dogs are a very good judge of character! The onion seller is a horrible and evil person. Bob deserves an extra special treat!

tammy j said...

they know. i have no doubt that they know.
my zeke was a pon. and like bob... welcoming to anyone and everyone. one day on a walk ... an elderly lady was approaching us slowly.
he suddenly stopped and began a low gutteral growl. i'd never heard him do that before. she kept walking slowly toward us. his fur raised all over his back. he stood stock still but had positioned himself between me and the lady coming. i couldn't get him to budge.
when she reached us she didn't look at me. she kept slowly walking... but said to him with a chilly little fixed smile...
"what's the matter? do you think i'm evil?"
i shall never forget it. it gives me chills to this day. yes. i think we were probably in the presence of evil. and he knew it.

Anonymous said...

I agree with every post. Dogs have a remarkable sense about people and other animals, I always trust it.
Extra treats for Bob!!! ( ok the miss diva can have 1 too :)

Yogi & Family

Anonymous said...

Yikers ... Tammy, that sounds like an opening to a Stephen King novel! Good for Zeke!

Yogi's Mom

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Edward has only behaved like this only once. On holiday. Long story, but he was proven totally right in short order. Another truly amazing thing about dogs. We trust his opinions completely now. Good old Bob.
xx

Whispering Walls said...

How cruel!