Manana Manana: One Mallorcan Summer by Peter Kerr

Author:Peter Kerr [Kerr, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Europe, Customs & Traditions, Social Science, Travel, General, Spain & Portugal
ISBN: 9781592284078
Publisher: The Lyons Press
Published: 2004-04-30T23:00:00+00:00

CONUNDRUMS OF CRUEL COMPASSION

introduce into your own house. I explained this as best I could to the shopkeeper and, to her credit, she accepted what I said without trying to push for a sale.

Other people had had the same concerns about this particular puppy, she admitted, taking the tiny dog from Ellie and placing it back in its cage. ‘ No problema, señores. ’

The expression of utter despair on that little creature’s face was enough to break the hardest of hearts. Gone was the sheer joy of being held and petted by kind hands, gone were the fleeting moments of hope of being taken at last from her lonely prison. She just sat down on her litter of shredded newspaper and gazed pathetically up at us, shivering, a squeaky little whimper her final appeal for a loving home.

‘Poor little thing,’ Ellie whispered, bending down again to stroke the puppy’s velvety black muzzle. ‘We could take her to a vet – get it checked,’ she said, looking at me through misty eyes.

I already felt a complete louse, and this scene of near-Dickensian pathos wasn’t helping. ‘It’d only be cruel,’

I said, in a pretty feeble attempt at making Ellie feel better. ‘If the vet gave her the thumbs down, she’d only have to be brought back here.’

‘But she’s so unhappy now,’ she replied. ‘Look at her

– poor little thing – and such a beautiful puppy, too.’

She cupped the forlorn little coconut face in her hand.

The shopkeeper looked at me, raised a shoulder and pulled one of those typically-Spanish what-are-you-gonna-do-now? facial shrugs.

‘The breeder of this puppy,’ I said, suddenly inspired,

‘– would you know if they’ll have another litter available soon?’

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