Juggy Singh and the Milkgirl

SLIMMER OF THE WEEK for the second week in a row!! I can't believe it. It just shows that if dieting usually works for you. then it doesn't matter too much if, like me, you can't go to the gym or go jogging or walking. I've lost 11½lbs since I started 6 weeks ago.



I made a big mistake ditching my contact lenses just before Christmas in favour of varifocal glasses. A big mistake - and I've set things going to get them back soon as possible. I used disposable contacts for about 25 years with no problems so I just hope I can have them again. And anyway, glasses don't go with my new slimmer image!



Do you remember me telling you how we were considerably-more-than-somewhat disaster prone in our first home together in the 70's? Well, it occurs to me that mlk delivery people played a not inconsiderable role too. We had a German Shepherd called Juggy Singh.



He had been owned by a Sikh bloke called Mr Singh who worked with Keith at the time and drove the van they went to work in, accompaned every day by the dog. Keith made the mistake of saying what a wonderful dog this was and one fine sunny evening Mr. Singh turned up at our door with Juggy, his kennel and a green slimey water bucket. "You like dog? Dog yours," he said, and dumped the whole lot in our back yard. Mr. and Mrs. Singh had about a million kids and poor Juggy lived chained up outside of the two up-two down terrace where Mr. Singh's parents and brothers also lived.



Juggy was a darling, such a handsome dog. I would have trusted my life to him and for sure no-one would dare to threaten me! He took his orders only from Keith but he protected me and our home.



One hot sunny day came a knock on the front door. In good weather we always left the back door open so Juggy could trot in and out of our dog-proof back garden and that's where he was when I opened the front door. But I hadn't closed the inside doors properly so the through-draught caused them to open and the dog came through - JUST as the milkgirl was putting her money away and bent down to pick up the empty bottles from the doorstep! Well, they were our empty bottles and Juggy didn't like people messing about with our things so he took a run at the milk girl. I grabbed his collar as he came through, saying to the milkgirl "Leave the bottles, get back in your van.". She thought I was having a laugh. I wasn't, and I couldn't hold on to Juggy any more so he chased her off our property. The second she hopped over the fence into next door's garden he came back. He didn't care about next door's, they were outside his remit! Unfortunately he gave a final "and stay out" shove to her shoulder and tore a little L-shaped piece of her overall. He never bit her, just caught his paw in her overall.



Two hours later came a posse from the dairy accompanied by two policemen and the milkgirl. A policeman knocked, explained why they'd come and said "The dog must be identified madam". Yes, of course, I said, There's only one, shouldn't be too difficult, do come in. "Oh no madam. you must bring the dog, on his lead, into the living room and we will look through the window..". Well how would ANY dog react to having half a dozen noses almost pressed to the glass? Paws on the window ledge and woof woof woof, that's how.



And THAT is how I gained my one and only experience of the magistrates' court. The summons was so worded that there was no choice but to plead guilty to 'keeping a dangerous dog not under proper control'. No mitigating circumstances or anything. The magisrate said that an order would be made for the dog to be kept under control in future.



And that was it, - out. We spent 2 months befrehand wondering what was going to happen to us and/or the dog, I spent 2 hours in a corridor full of rogues and vagabonds, and all for an order which took about 2 minutes and for which I never even got a confirming letter