They smell like wet dogs.
Written by John Macpherson
Bear? What bear? © John MacPherson
In a Scottish supermarket on a wintery day………
“They smell like wet dogs, they do” said the supermarket checkout man to me, as I pushed my shopping onto the conveyor for scanning.
“Eh?” I asked, puzzled.
“Wet dogs. Thats what they smell like” he repeated.
“Wet dogs?” I said, still puzzled.
“Yes” he replied.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about” I smiled.
“Polar bears” he said.
“Polar bears?” I said, looking behind me instinctively.
“Yes polar bears” and he pointed to the cover of the wildlife magazine lying amongst my shopping.
“Hmm. I didn’t know that” I said
“True” he replied “only two things smell like a wet dog and one’s a wet dog, the other is a polar bear.”
“Errr umm how do you know so much about polar bears then?” I enquired.
“Ha! I was born in northern Norway! We were warned about it as children. If you smell a wet dog, and there’s no dogs in sight, run. Just check which way you’re running!”
“How do you know which way to run then?” I asked.
“You learn.” he said.
I left with my shopping out into the snow. And ran.
The only way I’d learned.
Straight to my vehicle.
Never underestimate the experience and wisdom of the checkout people in supermarkets, you may live to regret it (or perhaps not).
Author — John Macpherson
John MacPherson was born and lives in the Scottish Highlands. He trained as a welder in the Glasgow shipyards, before completing an apprenticeship as a carpenter, and then qualified as a Social Worker in Disability Services. Along the way he has cooked on canal barges, trained as an Alpine Ski Leader & worked as an Instructor for Skiers with disabilities, been a canoe instructor, and tutor of night classes in carpentry, stained glass design and manufacture, and archery. He has travelled extensively on various continents, undertaking solo trips by bicycle, or motorcycle. He has had narrow escapes from an ambush by terrorists, been hit by lightning, caught in an erupting volcano, trapped in a mobile home by a tornado, kidnapped by a dog's hairdresser, rammed by a basking shark and was once bitten by a wild otter. He has combined all this with professional photography, which he has practised for over 35 years. He teaches photography and acts as a photography guide & tutor in the UK and abroad. His biggest challenge is keeping his 30 year old Land Rover 110 on the road. He loves telling and hearing stories.