POOCHINI

Dedicated to my Niece, Sunny, a fervent dog lover, on today, her 22nd birthday.

Leonard would never have come into money if it wasn't for his dog, Nemorino.

It was almost as if God had sent the little creature into his life to save him from a life of endless poverty after he'd unfairly lost his teaching job at the local college. Understandably he had become increasingly fretful about how he would be able to pay the rent on the house both he and Nemorino shared together and often he would now recite that famous nursery rhyme regarding Old Mother Hubbard with her bare cupboard.

"Looks like the only bones we'll have left, will be our own, eh Nemorino? And we can't boil those if we're already dead. Unless I go first."

Many times he wondered what it would take to get a dog to talk, but never in a million years did he imagine he could get one to sing. That was beyond the stuff of even his wildest dreams.

At first it didn't even occur to Leonard quite what a miracle he had on his hands, instead it only dawned ever so slowly for him over a succession of Sunday mornings when he was prone to playing opera at full volume throughout his house whilst making himself his favourite breakfast of smashed avocado (bruised and discounted these days, alas) with poached eggs on toast.

Carlo Bergonzi, Franco Corelli and Rolando Villazón were three particular favourite singers of Leonard's and it appeared that Nemorino also approved, often barking his delight upon recognising their lyric tones blasting through the speakers installed next to where his owner kept his doggy cereals. Looking back in retrospect, Leonard did later wonder if the fact that the music was coming from the same place where he kept Nemorino's food, might have doubly encouraged his little four legged friend to sing.

Initially, the thought that a dog could even sing opera seemed so improbable that Leonard simply dismissed any of his pet's coincidental wailing along to the arias as merely that - a coincidence.

But when, one spring-like morning in February, the little creature began to match almost note for note the full aria of 'Una Furtiva Lágrima' from Donizetti's opera 'L'elisir D'amore' he realised something unusual was taking place and quickly grabbed his phone to record for posterity the historically unprecedented phenomenon. And to further add to the serendipity, or 'the force of destiny,' to the unfolding miracle, Nemorino just so happened to be named after the protagonist of the opera who performs the actual aria.

But divine providence though it may have been, protecting one's privacy was a whole other matter and naturally Leonard was a little concerned about sharing the footage with the rest of the world as he knew it would change both his and Nemorino's lives in so many ways. Even though he was struggling to pay the rent on his cottage on the edge of town, he loved his cultured life with his dog more than anything else in the world. Money and fame would definitely help but the obliteration of their privacy would be difficult, especially for an introvert such as he was. Nevertheless, after the energy bill hike of the winter, Leonard quickly came to the conclusion that he would be foolish to pretend he didn't have a 'golden goose' in the guise of his dog that could help him out at this difficult time.

"After all, Jack didn't ignore his magic beans when he found them."

And with that he uploaded the footage to the internet in a single click and waited for his phone to ring.

Now, as you can imagine, the footage went instantly viral and Nemorino singing Donizetti became in record breaking time the most watched video in the history of the internet, recording more than twenty billion views.

And as the media frenzy both online and off soon threatened to overwhelm Leonard (less so Nemorino), he was pleased that he'd written in advance all their requirments and stipulations for public appearances before the circus arrived at their door. He had worked for several solicitors in his life and knew something about drafting legal agreements.

It wasn't always the case that Nemorino would sing when the clamorous hordes expected him to, but if the conditions were met exactly as Leonard had outlined it was more likely he would. Requests for 'Nessun Dorma' and other arias from the canon were ignored as Nemorino would only ever sing 'Una Furtiva Lágrima' and nothing else. Still, the miracle of this alone was enough to send the world into rapture.

Soon, Nemorino had sung in more opera houses around the world than even Luciano Pavarotti had managed in his entire lifetime. Everyone wanted to hear the singing dog and Leonard had to seriously consider what to do with all the money they were making from these prestigious appearances. Various dog food companies wanted Nemorino for the face of their brand and a bidding war ensued but to no avail as Leonard decided he would set up their own from scratch.

"What shall we call it, Nemorino?" he asked after his beloved terrier had just given his best performance yet at La Scala in Milan to thunderous applause.

The dog cocked his head to one side as if he'd just been posed the most interesting question in the world, and replied without any hesitation.

"How about Encore?"