PICI thinks she’s human—I think all Jack Russells do, actually,’ says the London-based little dog’s owner, Elizabeth Johnson.
She goes on to explain that Pici (who is named for the local pasta where she was born in Italy, pronounced ‘peachy’) is confident, kind, gentle, a sun-worshipper, slightly territorial with strangers or other dogs, but unbelievably tolerant of children —‘a child in a shop the other day grabbed her tail and just pulled and pulled and pulled. We had to prise its fingers off as she would never snap or growl, she just rammed her tail firmly between her legs for the next half an hour’. Pici, however, is also something of a master criminal.
When COUNTRY LIFE announced a new search for Britain’s naughtiest dog, four years after Rabbit was crowned (March 25, 2015), the postbags were soon overflowing with tales of disobedience and destruction, but it quickly became clear that there was r going to be one winner.
Pici—a much-loved birthday gift, 12 years ago, to Mrs Johnson’s daughter Lottie, who turned 21 yesterday—cut her teeth, so to speak, with the usual litany of canine crimes. ‘No one seems to have told her that chocolate is poisonous to dogs,’ reflects Mrs Johnson, recalling the time the little terrier snaffled the family’s Easter eggs. ‘We found a ball of foil placed neatly in her basket and she showed not the slightest ill effect.’
Another time, Pici managed to retrieve and demolish a packet of biscuits from the bottom of a guest’s overnight bag, without leaving the slightest trace of disturbance— ‘she’s very light-fingered’—and, one Christmas, she discovered and opened her own present, leaving the rest untouched.
Denne historien er fra October 23, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra October 23, 2019-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
