We have a new dog.
We're adopting this Staffordshire Bull Terrier, who formerly lived with a colleague of mine. Danny's original family is going their separate ways and can no longer look after her, so we've stepped in and volunteered. This makes three dogs at our secret Inner-West hideout, Megs, Rabbit and Danny (who is probably being renamed Jada).
I have to admit, the last couple of days have been very interesting. A new pecking order has had to be enforced among the dogs, and the cat, so on Sunday after some fun at the park the terrible trio got down to some barking, growling, snuffling and barging, to establish who was who. Previously, Megs was benevolent dictator, with Rabbit as a kind of comedy sidekick. Now, Megs is still at the top, followed by Rabbit, and both get to boss around the new one, which is larger than both of them put together. Having never lived in a multi-dog household, this is a new process for me to watch and it's fairly fascinating. It's also pretty clear that the humans in the house are pack leaders, and the cat is she who must be feared.
It's also becoming more clear that Rabbit is a psycho who must be feared all around Sydney Park by other dogs, who speak in hushed tones about "that crazy skinny dog that drives you into the lake and won't let you back out". This bizzarre behaviour got a good showing on Saturday when meeting Danny. Rabbit's technique is now quite refined. He'll run like crazy, get the target mutt near the water and steer it in. He'll then leap back out of the water and every time the target tries to emerge, he'll dash to the emergence point barking like crazy, forcing the target back into the pond. And he'll repeat this dozens of times. We're not sure where he gets it from, but if I can figure out a way to make money from it we're set for life.
In other news, we worked the Future Music Festival on Saturday and let me just say this: If that is the future, then take me back to the stone age. I've worked quite a few festival gates now, but never before have I had so many chancers trying to get in without tickets, whether its by faking up receipts, sticking used wristbands on with chewing gum, climbing in or plain rushing the gate. I've also never seen quite so many drugfucked space cadets in one place at the same time. I personally had to throw several people out, including one who tried to rush me and ended up with a little more than he bargained for (climbers tend to have a vice-like grip). Anecdotally, it seems dance music events have by far the highest percentage of idiots. The gate at The Great Escape should be Rancho Relaxo by comparison.