A week after we’d lost our young male Bull Terrier, Joey to a congenital kidney defect we were visiting his breeder.  She’d offered to replace our pup and was showing us the dogs she had available.  I took pictures of them so we could take them home and think about which one we wanted.  

     One dog in particular stood out.  We kept going back to his picture.  He was ten months old.  In the three pictures I’d taken of him, he was sitting, had his paws on the kennel run fence, and had a look on his face as if he were saying to us, “Psssst, you.  Come over here.  Have I got a joke for you!” 

     The following weekend we brought Malcolm home.  As soon as our third Bull Terrier entered our lives, we realized that our new dog was going to be a real hoot.  Malcolm was a ham.  

     This dog, when being walked down the street, expected everyone to stop and pet him because normally everyone did.  One day, while Dear Hubby and Malcolm were out walking, a person walked towards them, Malcolm got excited.  Malcolm stopped.  He sat down and waited for the expected attention.  The person walked past them, he didn’t pause, he didn’t stop, and he didn’t pet.  The poor dog looked stunned. 

     DH laughed and told Malcolm that the world didn’t revolve around him.  They continued their walk.  However, Malcolm couldn’t stop thinking about that missed petting.  The poor distracted, dejected, and disillusioned dog kept looking back at the person who’d ignored him.  Malcolm became so preoccupied looking over his shoulder that he walked smack into a telephone pole.