Sunday, October 05, 2008

Days of Thunder



Meet Thor. Not the Norse god of thunder, but an adorable Labrador puppy, who I bumped into in Brompton Road, just around the corner from the V&A museum.

Words cannot describe how adorable he was, with his chunky paws, happy clumsiness of a puppy, bounding enthusiastically on the leash, in very high spirits despite the miserable weather. Labrador puppies are known for their looks, and it's not a coincidence that the most famous puppy in UK is in fact a Labrador, the 'Andrex' puppy ads dog voiced by Rik Mayall, has become a part of the colloquial language and British culture.

Thor was, in fact, so vivacious and full of beans, that my friend Dean had to assist with the photo shoot, which resulted in one of the funniest shots on The London Dog to date. Just look at the paws akimbo, and the sheer radiance on his face (Thor's, not Dean's) - simply irresistible!

Thor's owner clearly adores him, and has gone through a lot of trouble to ensure that he got the healthiest and best Labrador pup he could find. Mind you, when he told me that Thor was first at his feet, chewing on his fingers and generally making himself immediately indispensable, it seems that it was Thor who chose and found his owner, not the other way around!

Thor is extremely sociable and his main hobby is pursuing other dogs in the park to play and frolick around. His owner also produced a chewed up rope toy from his pocket, which Thor loves to chew and play with in the park.

His puppy manners aside, when I offered him a treat, he was very well-behaved, titlting his head in a cutest way possible, and taking the treat very gently from my hand, so I do have very high hopes indeed for this young gentleman. Good luck Thor! I am sure you will grow up to be a real Labrador stunner.

To see other Labradors and Retrievers please click here