While they were minding him, he lost one of his baby teeth. They did what all grandparents would do – they put the tooth in a glass, placed it above his bed and told him the fairies would come while he was asleep.
They had jumped at the chance to mind little Leroy while their son and his partner had a few days break. Leroy came complete with enough food to feed a tribe of Leroys and there was also a typed sheet detailing his feed, rest and play times.
They complied with all the written instructions and suggestions, but there was one thing different about this ‘holiday with the grandparents.’ Leroy was a five-month-old loveable chocolate labrador.
The directions stated they should take him for a daily walk, so they got the lead out and off they went to introduce him to the neighbourhood. Well, as it turned out, Leroy took them for the walk. They were detoured to every lamp post, tree and even the water meters. Here was a whole new world of smells that needed to be fully examined before moving on to the next one, usually only metres away.
Back at home they soon found that anything left low to the ground that might be edible was chewed, munched and tested for its culinary quality. Included in this category was a straw hat, a travel magazine, the door mat and the leg of a wooden chair.
Minding Leroy was such a wonderful experience for them both. They laughed at his antics, played football with him and enjoyed the fun of having a loveable larrikin around the house. It was a reminder that grandparents still have an important role to play in life, even though it might entail babysitting a pet.
I’m Peter Mack and that’s life.