Shhh....

We have acquired a dog.

A temporary one, anyway.  Francesca (one of my host sisters) turned up this afternoon with two kids (who she was babysitting) and a massive black dog in tow.  She found him by the side of the road, with his chin propped on a wall, and invited him to come home with her.  Which he did.  He has a collar, and is clean and clearly well fed (perhaps too well fed...).  Not the brightest dog ever, but sweet as anything and doesn't bark (although he did apparently growl at his own reflection in one of the store windows).  Francesca called around to see if there was a vet open in the evening/at night who could check for a microchip or might know about anyone missing a dog in the area (no luck), and took him around the neighborhood to ask if anyone around here knows who he belongs to (no luck), and Eleonora (my other host sister) tried to convince him to go home on his own (no luck there either), and we could call the polizia, but they'd just take him to the pound, so for tonight he's staying here with us.  He has been christened Orso (bear), and fed a dubious mixture of cat food (there was no dog food at the corner store???), bread and cous cous.  He didn't seem to object though, and has been basking happily in all the attention.  Tomorrow morning Francesca is going to take him in to one of the vets to ask about microchips/people missing dogs.

By the way, not a word of this to Emilia, who is away at a training for the weekend and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon...