Scally

Buying a family dog turns into a comedy of prices, pedigrees and directions when a husband and wife set off for Battersea. Stella wants a companion who will be gentle with their young son, while the narrator finds plenty to argue about along the way. Their attempt to follow an employee of the Home for Lost Dogs through London gives Ian Hay an opening full of awkward encounters and marital banter.

The later scenes introduce Excalibur, a patient dog whose appetite and immovable habits complicate everyday social life in Much Moreham. He serves as chaperon for Eileen and a curate, settles on the hearthrug with a loaf between his paws and occupies the tennis court while they play around him. Told by the husband in a conversational voice, this humorous work of fiction draws its comedy from human fussiness as much as canine behavior. Readers interested in animal stories can enjoy the small domestic mishaps and the affectionate treatment of a dog with his own priorities.