The angel of St Roch .

I have not been out a great deal this week due to illness . Today though I went to my local Sommerfield which until recently was my regular pitch. Its been quite hot in London this week but I took my dog with me not expecting to be out in the sun for to long with only one magazine to sell . I usually take a stool with me to sit on as I suffer from arthritis,back pains and COPD . I was there for about ten to fifteen minutes and had to rest so I sat leaning against the bin . I tried to get my dog to sit in the shade , but she kept coming to sit near me so I put a bit of water on her head and neck to cool her down , she was panting slightly but ok and it was my intention only to be there for half an hour . Pennie my dog is fifteen years old and wont sit down or remain still when she wants to go home . So I look at the time and think to myself only ten or twelve minutes to go then Im off home for a cup of tea .
She descended upon me from nowhere screaming like the avenging angel of St Roch (patron saint of dogs).
"you shouldnt be sat in this heat with that dog , its cruel blah blah yip yap you are wicked blah blah " . She did not even give me a chance to say anything but went and stood at the cash point about twenty yards away from me with (a failed science project) her daughter I presume .I have had my dog a long time and am anything but cruel to her. So shes at the cash point with her mouth breaking the world speed record , every second or so her arm flys up and I see her finger is pointed at me . Well by now I gesture for her to come over to me and ask what her problem is . She keeps nagging non stop so I say the RSPCA is right across the road why dont you go and tell them about it , she gets hysterical saying she will have my dog taken away and that white dogs are more affected by the sun than black dogs and she has a white dog and does not take it out (her house must smell awful I think what with her dog doing a life sentence), Im about to call a exorcist when she leaves for the RSPCA across the road .
      What got to me was the fact that she did not see a person , all she seen was a piece of dirt she thought she could bully nag and abuse and I meet people like that everyday and usually they dont bother me. and what angered her the most was the fact that I awnsered her back in a polite manner and did not speak to her like she did to me .
     Ten minutes after she left I called it a day (I was there a total of 28 minutes) and walked over to the RSPCA shop and offered to give them my details in case they wanted a Inspector to investigate me . I knew I had no cause for concern and the people in the shop said they knew my dog was well cared for and she is .
At the same time though I do think that if a person thinks a animal is being mistreated they should report it even if they are proved wrong in the long run . You never know one time they may be right .I never got to sell my magazine ,but thats another story .