katharos

It's the Six Nations rugby, the one time of year that my Dad acts like a Real Man (tm). And it REALLY distresses the dog.

See he gets really into it - ducking and weaving about on the sofa, gasping and groaning and cheering - and Tess gets terribly anxious and comes running up to me and Mum, trying to tell us that Something Is Wrong with Dad!!!!!!

And when this fails to makes us get up to save Dad from his terrible seizures she runs away and hides upstairs. And then Dad feels guilty and goes and watches it in the kitchen. And then she comes back and pants imploringly at us, her nerves shattered.

(We invited her up on the sofa but I think that just freaked her out more, as she knows she's Not Allowed on the good sofa - when there's anyone to see her...)

The dog has been sulking at me all evening. And what did I do? What heinous crime did I commit?

I took her for a walk. And it started raining.

It was filthy looks and stiff legged walks all the way home, and she's been telling everyone how hard done by she is.

*laughs at her, but quietly cause she's already plastered my bed with mud.*

Dogs are awesome. Science is awesome.

Stuff that combines the two? awesome squared

Conservation Canines are dogs based at the University of Washington who have been trained to detect animal scat. There's a wonderful audio slideshow on the bbc website about one of the dogs, Tucker, who has been trained to detect whale poo. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11523469