Top dogs
Sir: I very much enjoyed the excerpts from Dean Spanley (The Spectator’s Notes, 8 January). Hitherto my favourite depiction of the canine mindset had come from Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome:
Montmorency’s ambition in life is to get in the way and be sworn at. If he can squirm in anywhere where he particularly is not wanted, and be a perfect nuisance, and make people mad, and have things thrown at his head, then he feels his day has not been wasted.
Anyone who has ever attempted to shift a beloved pet from underfoot while cooking is surely familiar with such an attitude.
I am sure other readers will have their own favourites.
Kate Baxter
Etchingham, East Sussex
Sir: Charles Moore’s enjoyment of Lord Dunsany’s book Dean Spanley might be increased even more by watching the ‘utterly original’ DVD. Although Peter O’Toole is rated as the star of the film, Sam Neil’s dogged portrayal of the canine-deluded clergyman is unforgettable and as barking mad as one could imagine.
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