Lying in defence of a puppy? I think I’ve made a new friend for life

September 12, 2026 — 5:00am

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The diary of a dog: As a puppy, I’m trying to understand the complexities of my new family. The youngest grandchild is so enamoured with me, I can do no wrong.

In a moment of over-excitement – I must be honest in the pages of this diary – there was inadvertent contact between my teeth and his leg. This elicited a moment of outrage, but not from the child.

The grown-up, who I’ve taken to calling Man, ran over and addressed the small boy. “Did Frank bite you?” Man said. He spoke in a tone which, were this a court of law, would be seen as “leading the witness”.

Luckily, the child, who is just short of three years of age, was having none of it. “It was just a little nip,” he said, and I must say I think we’ll be friends for life. No one likes a snitch. Better still is a person who will assert a barefaced lie in defence of a beloved puppy.

I could probably remove that child’s whole right arm, and he’d say, “It’s nothing but a flesh wound.” But here’s the point: I would never harm him in any way. The boy, who I think of as Sweetpea, is now my best friend. We are now comrades, compatriots, compañeros. Choose whatever term you prefer.

Man, on........

© The Age