Today’s topic poses me a bit of a quandary. We don’t have a pet. We’ve never had one. I feel about pets the same way I feel about children. I really like them but don’t feel the need to have one of my own. I’m happy to borrow children and animals for a few days before handing them back to their rightful owners. My beloved would love a dog but we all know who’d end up looking after it – moi! That said, both children and animals, particularly dogs, are drawn to me like moths to candles. Last year, at the village du depart of the Tour du Haut Var, it was pouring. This elderly retriever was soaking wet and looking a little sad. He main a bee-line for me and I obliged with some friendly petting which considerably brightened his demeanor.