The Antagonist

He is an Apricot Toy poodle and

as such, delicately put together,

proportionally minuscule but we

do not inform him that he is small

and vulnerable, for he would scorn

such a conclusion.  In his youth,

after all, he climbed mountains at

our side, and nothing intimidated him.

He conceives of himself as

courageously stalwart, the equal

in valour to any large breed dog.

He has, we know, a typical

Napoleon complex; strange dogs

are given the short shrift of warning

snarls.  Then came the time when a

miniature version of himself, an

Apricot Teacup poodle, was

encountered, being closely and

lovingly held.  No self-respecting

dog allows itself to be carried rather

than trotting about on its own, so

the Toy did not deign to grace the

presence of the Teacup with so much

as a glance, much less a growl.