Wooki, Libby and Rex the rat

Recently we had Oscar back with us, he regards himself a full Wooki, unlike that crossbreed Chewbacca. Technically he is a Spinone, an Italian Otterhound.

He was in residence, ten years ago, when we when to the Droitwich dog show to adopt Rocco. Oscar toured the show as if he were a Duke of the Realm condesending to visitors at a fete in the grounds of his stately home.

   ‘You live in the Droitwich do you, I suppose somebody must. Well done’.

   ‘You fellows, seen any Italian otters round here?’

   ‘What are they feeding you, old chap? If you’ll forgive my saying so, your bottom is not exactly a perfume factory.’

Young Rocco with the bent car-aeriel tail

   ‘I say, somebody has found this amusing little chap, lets take him home’.

He still regards Young Rocco as his protégé and they adore their occasional meet-ups. At first they used to stay at each other’s houses on a regular basis until Oscar’s family acquired cats, uh-ho. He can’t quite live it down. Rocco would like to sneer but he has a guilty secret of his own – Libby the cat who ruled him with a paw of iron when he first came to live with us.

Mixed dining

Many moons ago, we moved into a cottage in East Sheen so that the builders could have six months to wreak their renovations on our house. Back then our menagerie included a rabbit (the Doberman Bunny), a rat and Jumble, then an elderly dog. A black and white cat from over the street kept a constant and close watch, eyeing us from our windowsills. One day as Judy, Izzy and Jumble were opening the front door the cat barged past, Libby had arrived, (Libby is short for taker-of-liberties).

There was a worry the rabbit and rat, loose in the house, were in danger but Libby had worked out the non-aggression pact operating in the house. I took her back several times to her owner, a psychologist at Broadmoor. Libby had been left behind by a departing girlfriend. The cat was bored of being alone all day. Every time I returned her she was back with us as soon as her owner opened his door. Rex our rat loved her and when Libby slept he would creep-up to nestle up in her fur. Libby hated this but understood she had to tolerate the rodent’s worship.

We moved back into our house and Libby came with us (with her former owner’s agreement). In time, Jumble having departed to chase about in the Elysian fields, we introduced Rocco to her. One swipe at his nose - claws-out - and he knew there was one cat with which you did not mess.

When the Dog Hotel started Judy would ask owners to bring their prospective guests around so the owner could check-out our set-up and the dog could meet Rocco and any others in residence. Magically Libby would appear and parade herself in front of the potential guest. If the dog showed adverse signs of reacting to her presence, Judy would have to tell the owner their dog was not right for us. Libby would carve another notch on her six shooter.