My neighbors Patrick and Michael have a small pack of small dogs. None of those dogs can be more than ten pounds. Patrick runs the hospital for the Humane Society and that’s the source of their ever-growing gang. A few days ago Michael was coming in from a walk with the brood and I noticed the new member. Sean. He’s one of those dogs who looks like a teeny deer — short, glossy red hair and long skinny legs. He’s sort of prancy. I sat on the step to say hello to the new edition, who is quite friendly and curious.
His curiousity factor was amplified, I noticed, by his doggy head cock a la the RCA Victor guy listening to the gramaphone. But the weird thing was he never dropped that pose. So I said to Michael, “Is there something… wrong with his ears?” I was thinking maybe he had an ear infection, which was making him hold his head funny. And Michael said, “Oh no. When he was a puppy someone stuffed him in a tiny bag and tied it closed. His head was pushed way over to the side and his neck was injured. NOW HIS HEAD IS STUCK THAT WAY FOREVER.”