Sandy, for all her great qualities had two major flaws.

She was a barker and a wanderer.

If I was out in the garden, she would spend the entire time dancing around me and barking.  It was fucking irritating to put it mildly.

And she used to spend a lot of her time searching the boundary looking for gaps in the fencing so she could go for a wander around the neighbourhood.  As a result I used to have to spend a lot of time examining the fencing while Sandy barked at me.

Penny has neither of these faults.  She accompanies me around the garden and if I stop to work, she will lie down nearby and quietly watch.  It is a massive relief both on the nerves and the ears.  And she is completely disinterested in the outside world.  If the gate is wide open, she will still happily remain in the garden with no desire whatsoever to expand her horizons.

So now I have the opposite problem.

Penny, apparently is a very popular dog.  Maybe the local pooches admire her quality of silence but they all seem to want to chat.  Frequently my musings are interrupted by a tap on the door and it will be yet another moggie asking if Penny is available for a consultation.  I don’t know how they get into the garden and I once again have to spend a lot of time scouring the fencing for dogs’ holes.

I would love to know the reason for this popularity.

Is she some kind of local agony aunt of the canine world?  Is it some kind of doggy religious thing where they are all coming for her to hear their confessions?  

Or are they all pilgrims seeking an audience with Pope Penny?

Penny hearing confessions yesterday.