Serious training

We've been doing some serious training today, Paddy and I. The aim of the lesson is for Paddy to realise that jumping on the back of the armchair and throwing himself at the window when a cat comes within two miles is NOT acceptable behaviour. So this is him, wanting to and remembering he mustn't.

Spider Dog

We established on Paddy's first day that he is not keen on cats. Suffice it to say, that might have been an understatement.
Today, while I was in my counselling room with a client, Keith stayed in the living room to keep an eye on Paddy in case he needed to be kept quiet. No problem there, as it seems that Paddy can't bark properly. The best he can do is a hoarse, breathy imitation of a bark. The problem arose when a dreaded cat sat itself on the grass outside the window. They're like that, cats. You can just see them preening themselves, staring cheekily at the captive dog in the window chanting, "Ha! Can't catch me, you foolish canine creature!"
All this was grist to the mill for Paddy. After launching himself repeatedly at the window, and eventually realising that, as it was a window, there was little chance of him passing through it, he suddenly took a mighty leap and hooked his front paws onto the top window bar and stayed there, spreadeagled against the window. Unfortunately, Keith was not able to take a photo (which would have been hilarious) as he was too busy peeling Paddy off the window.
To his credit, he achieved this in relative silence, so as not to disturb the counselling session.
I've booked him in for a few counselling sessions of his own - Paddy, not Keith.

Ecstasy v. horseriding

No, sorry, the logic of this opinion of the aptly named Professor Nutt is passing me by. Apart from his conviction that Ecstasy should be downgraded from class A to class B, which is another issue, I am struggling to understand how riding a horse, a healthy, outdoor pastime for the most part, can be compared with deliberately ingesting a drug which will cause harmful chemical changes in the brain, some of which are likely to be long term. Certainly riding a horse can, occasionally result in physical harm if the horse decides to bolt or refuse a fence, but the object of the exercise is to enjoy some healthy physical activity, whereas taking Ecstasy can in no way be excused by the aim of becoming healthier and fitter.
As David Raynes of the National Drug Prevention Alliance comments, if his personal view conflicts so strongly with his professional position, he should 'consider his position' or someone should do it for him.