a response. The last thing I wanted to do was upset him.
I thought quickly. As far as bachelor pads went, this was a pretty good one, and barked appreciatively as I sat on the floor by the bed.
Simon sat cross-legged on the floor beside me. ‘I’m glad you approve, mate. I’m hoping you and me will become pals because, you know what, I could really use one in this house.’
I licked his chin, urging him to carry on, his bristles rough against my tongue as he bent his face down towards me.
‘The thing is, Perce, since we moved back up to London, well, our whole lives revolve around Jenny and her illness. It’s heart-breaking. All I want is for Jenny to be well again and for us all to go back to how things were.’
Glancing up at him, I saw his green eyes moisten as he mentioned his daughter’s condition. I was unsure just how sick Jenny was but it was beginning to sound more serious by the second. My heart went out to him and Gail as they were obviously coping in very different ways. Gail by bringing me into the family and Simon, I realised glancing around me, by shutting himself away from his family in this man cave. I nuzzled my face into his lap and tried to let him know I understood.
‘I’m here for you, Simon,’ I barked noisily. ‘I’m here for you all.’
In the days that followed I began to settle into a routine with my new family. I was usually woken early by Jenny who would gently ruffle my ears, then open the back door for me so I could spend a penny. When I returned, I would find she had always made breakfast for me, and as I tucked in, she often liked to sit and watch me eat as the house gradually came to life.
After good morning strokes and kisses from Gail, Simon would throw on his old wax jacket and I would whimper in delight, knowing our early morning walk to the park was imminent. Patiently, I would sit by the front door and wait as Simon clipped on my lead, then we would trot down the road together chatting away about the day ahead. Although the ground was now covered in a thick frost, this morning was no different. As he yawned and stretched, jerking my lead so my collar caught my throat, I let out a yelp of agony.
‘Oh, sorry, mate,’ Simon said, loosening my lead. ‘I’m a bit knackered this morning, didn’t sleep all that well. Me and Gail had a row last night.’
I woofed in sympathy. I had been out like a light last night and had not heard a peep from either of them.
‘To be honest with you, Percy, it feels like me and Gail are always having words,’ Simon confided. ‘This week we’ve rowed about the washing-up, the car and the fact I’m apparently always out with my mates in the pub after work. It’s all doing my head in to be honest, I like a quiet life.’
As we walked up the lane dodging the icy patches on the pavement, I turned my face to meet his and barked again, encouraging him to get it all off his chest.
‘Course I’m not stupid like a lot of blokes, Perce,’ he continued. ‘I know Gail, and I know what she’s really upset about is the fact Jenny has to go back into hospital; but every time I say that to her, she bites my head off. I don’t know what to do for the best.’
I said nothing and just listened as we walked along the road. I’d come to know Simon well enough to realise he said more when he was uninterrupted by my woofs of support.
‘Since Jenny was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, Gail’s been different, permanently on edge, you know. I thought moving back to London so we could be nearer to the hospital would make life easier. I mean, we were spending all our time on the motorway as it was with various appointments. But at least this way we’ve got my mum around to help.’ He sighed, scratching the bristles of his day-old beard. ‘The truth is, I think she blames me, Perce. My dad had heart trouble and this heart condition Jenny’s got is genetic. Gail’s never come out and said anything, but I think deep down, she feels it’s my fault. When Dad passed away because of his ticker last year she was more upset than me. I think she thought it would be Jenny next.’
He stopped, then bent down, his eyes meeting mine. ‘I’m sorry, Percy. You’re such a terrific dog, you don’t deserve all this rubbish. You deserve a home that’s happy and carefree.’
My eyes widened. Did Simon want to send me back to the tails of the forgotten already? It wasn’t Christmas yet, I still had at least six weeks to prove myself.
‘Don’t make me go back,’ I yelped frantically.
‘Oh, mate,’ Simon said, kissing the top of my head with his cold lips, ‘despite what you may think from all my moans and groans in the morning, you’ve changed our lives for the better, Perce.’
My cheeks puffed with pride as we reached the safety of the park. ‘You’re my family too,’ I barked, licking his face as he unclipped my collar. ‘Which is why I’ll be the best dog in the world if you’ll just let me stay with you for ever.’
‘Go on, mate,’ Simon called loudly, ignoring my barks of plea, ‘run free for a bit.’
I hardly needed any encouragement and ran across the green space that was rock-hard thanks to the wintery frost. Despite the cold, a visit to the park was one of the highlights of my day. There were lots of trees to have a tinkle behind, plenty of grass to run around on, not to mention loads of abandoned tennis balls that were begging to be chewed. Seeing one now, I pounced on it in delight just as a young, boisterous Border collie raced towards me.
‘I’m Bugsy, but you can call me Bugs,’ he said, panting excitedly. ‘Me and my gang have seen you here every day for the last few days, and have wondered who you are. I said I’d find out, so I’ve come to introduce myself and bring you back to meet the others. Do you want to come now?’
His wild-eyed enthusiasm and endless stream of chat was both impressive and exhausting. Watching him run around me in circles reminded me of some of the dogs I had met at the tails of the forgotten and I realised he was barely more than a pup.
‘I’m Percy,’ I replied slowly, trying to calm the youngster down. ‘I’ve just moved in with Simon and Gail in Barksdale Way.’
‘Cor! Barksdale Way’s a bit fancy. Full of families that think they’re no better than they should be – least that’s what my owners Johnny and Bella say – but I don’t know what that means. Do you want to come and meet my friends now?’ Bugs barked relentlessly.
I thought my head would explode with laugher. You could always rely on a young pup to tell you just how it is, I thought wryly.
‘I’d love to meet everyone,’ I woofed agreeably, following behind as he raced to the other end of the park.
‘This is Percy,’ he puffed, rounding up all his pals. ‘He’s just moved in with a new family in Barksdale Way.’
‘Very good, old boy. Welcome to the gang,’ woofed an elderly looking spaniel. With his greying whiskers, he reminded me a little bit of Kelly at the tails of the forgotten and was clearly a dog that had seen and done it all.
‘I’m Jake,’ he continued, ‘out and about most mornings, hips allowing.’ With that, he shifted his lower half from the wet, dank grass and wriggled his bottom to get more comfortable.
A sweet-looking German
