The pet I’ll never forget: Flaps the dog gave me a nasty bite – but I kept quiet to save his life

Mum told me it was ‘three strikes and you’re out’ for our nippy cocker spaniel. When the fateful strike occurred, I decided to grin and bear it

One of my earliest childhood memories, at seven or eight, is being driven to visit the puppy we would be taking home in a few weeks. A litter of thoroughbred cocker spaniels had been born. All the happy, barky ones had been taken, leaving one timid little fellow at the back – the runt of the litter if ever there was one.

When the big day came, we drove back to pick him up. We decided on a name, based on his hair, which was exactly the same colour as golden roasted oats: Flapjack. Or, for short: Flaps. How strange it must have sounded, hearing someone shout: “Here, Flaps,” or: “Good boy, Flaps,” across the park.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Lyg3QUG