The derring-do dog of the tale, Snowy (Milou in the original), is fashioned after a Wire Fox Terrier. With his sky-high Cute factor, Snowy smells more details and unravels mysteries sooner than his human partner (just like Chet in Spencer Quinn’s detective series). However, in one perilous scene, Snowy runs for his life as a ferocious Rottweiler gives chase. It reminded me of my own pooch’s real-life adventure one summer day.
It was early in the morning and we had the beach to ourselves. My husband and I let the pooch off-lead and she frolicked ahead of us.
Then, as if materializing out of the sand, three muscular Rottweilers circled our little Sophie. They stood so close to her she could hardly turn around.
I was mortified. The pooch was afraid of most dogs; even goofy Golden Retrievers could make her tremble. She lashed out by spewing “crazy talk”—maybe a few expletives—to make them think she was tough. But if they called her bluff—as I believed the pack of Rotts would likely do—the scene could turn ugly really fast.
We raced across the beach to intervene, but before we reached them, the Rotts took off and our pooch resumed her frolic. As if nothing had happened.
I was stunned. And grateful. We hadn’t heard her usual crazy talk, so she’d managed her way out of trouble soundlessly. Or, at least, quietly. Although the more realistic scenario was probably that the Rotts ran up to her to play, she acted all grouchy, and the Rotts took their joie de vivre elsewhere. (Either way, I admit my negligence in this encounter. I wasn’t always the perfect guardian I aspired to be.)
Snowy, likewise, gets out of his scrape. And in case his Cute factor gets the better of someone you know who’s considering adopting a Wire Fox Terrier after seeing TinTin, you might encourage your friend to consider this as well:
“Fox-terriers are born with about four times as much original sin in them as other dogs are….”
—Jerome K. Jerome
—Jerome K. Jerome
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