I brought Penny down to see Doc on Tuesday.

“Ah! There y’are GD!” says he, “Are ye poorly?”

“I’m grand”, I replied.  “It’s Penny I want you to have a look at.”

“What d’ya take me for?  A vet?”

I quietly pointed out that he was indeed trained as a vet and that the faded certificates on the wall proved it.  Unless they were forgeries which is quite possible.  I reminded him that treating people was supposed to be just a side-line.  He apologised.

He gave her a thorough examination and seemed very pleased with the results.  Penny didn’t even bite him, though I could see she was tempted.

“Nice Lurcher” was his summary.  “Did ya think of racing her?”

I said that the thought had crossed my mind but I wasn’t really into that kind of thing. 

“So what’s wrong with her?” he asked.

“Nothing”.  I told him that I just wanted her micro-chipped in case any Knackers took it into their heads to rob her.

He went and gathered together his paraphernalia and inserted a micro-chip in her neck.  She is now probably permanently marked as a Hereford Bull but at least the chip is there.

“Did ya ever think of getting Herself chipped” he asked when he was finished.

“Why the fuck would I do that?”

“Well..  You know she has a habit of wandering?  If she wandered too far and she was chipped they would be able to see where she came from and send her back to ya?”

I raised an eyebrow at him and said nothing.

“Yeah.  Maybe you’re right.  Best let nature take it’s course.”