ABSTRACT
Gypsy is old now. Her beau ti ful colour ing has faded and she is grey. Her eyes are milky, she doesn’t see well and she is almost deaf. It is testi mony to her spirit that when people see her run in the park some believe that she is a young dog. The truth, though, is that she feels her age in her spirit as well as in her body. This first became appar ent to me when we were walking past a house guarded by a young and hope lessly neur otic border collie who barked at every one and everything. Only a year before, Gypsy gave that irrit at ing creature his just deserts by biting his nose as he thrust it under the front gate. But now she increases her pace as she approaches the gate so that she can get past it as soon as possible. On one occa sion the collie’s sudden and aggress ive bark gave me a fright, even though I was half-expect ing it. Gypsy slunk past and gave me a side long look which appeared to express humi li ation, shame and a ques tion, ‘You too?’
