Late one evening I'd filled a white plastic carrier with bits of rubbish, to take out to the dustbin the next morning it was only paper and stuff and I left it on the kitchen work surface and went to bed. In the middle of the night I heard something like a yelp, not quite a yelp but something like. I shot out of bed and stood at the top of the stairs for a second looking down. A white vision flashed across the bottom of the stairs and into the sitting-room. I was surprised to say the least. It was so quick I couldn't tell what it was but as I don't believe in ghosts and it was obviously not a burglar, I ran downstairs. in the sitting-room was Sweep. Standing wide eyed, legs stiff and straight with a white carrier around her left back leg. I picked her up and removed the bag. She gave it such looks of contempt, she'd kill it if she ever got her paws on it she told it. what I think must have happened is that she'd jumped up through the hatch between the kitchen and the dining-room, decided to have a mooch around and her foot had got caught through the handle. Then as she jumped down from the hatch the bag had followed her, that was the yelp. Then of course the bag had followed her everywhere. She was quite shook up, I think she thought the bag was a cat eating monster who'd got her.

One of the newspaper delivery boys used to come around the time I was cooking the evening meal, 5:15PM kind of time. So I was usually in the kitchen which is on the front of the house and I could see him walking up the drives one after the other as he approached our corner. Then he would stop and look around for Sweep, It would be only seconds before she appeared and the two would enjoy a good fussing session. Sometimes however they would be there a long time and the boy would be trying to get on with his deliveries with Sweep weaving in and out of his legs. He never pushed her away but he needed to get on. On these occasions I would go out to rescue him calling Sweep telling her that was enough now. She would give him a last rub around his legs and he would stroke her then she would come home. If Sweep didn't go to him the boy looked so disappointed and I used to try to find her for her to go out to him. She went out, telling me she'd lost track of the time.

Sweep loved to play with the local children. (We don't have any.) When she first moved in with us I used to leave her outside while I went to work. I knew she'd be fine because there were a lot of mothers at home with their children, including my next door neighbour who adored Sweep and her previous owners. Sweep particularly loved the school holidays when all the children would be around. She loved the kids and the kids loved her. She was always very gentle with children. Although I did get a bit worried when one of the little ones came up to me asking if I was Sweeps Mummy and telling me that Sweep didn't like having her tummy touched. I had visions of a very irate parent turning up on my doorstep (I remembered what Sweep had done to the hand of Bob's boss when he rubbed her tummy a second time after she'd warned him.) But that never happened, Sweep must have been gentle but firm to tell them what she didn't like. When the children grew up Sweep stayed inside alone while I went to work, it was her choice.

Copyright © Judith Latham
February 1, 2003