A loose dog story

I've always been a dog person and, yes, when i was younger and living in a different town, probably not the most responsible dog owner. But 6 years of living with an ever changing variety of neighbors who think that proper dog care consists of tying your mutt up to the carport pillar, changing the water in his bowl twice a week, and yelling "Shut Up!" loudly at 3 am when he's been howling for the past two hours, (and those are the good owners. The ones who simply open the front door to let their dogs roam the neighborhood killing cats are a whole different story) has changed me a bit.

My golden died over a year and a half ago, and i'm still not close to being ready for another dog.

But i definitely got a chuckle this morning from Jose Mourinho's problems with his dog in a fancy London neighborhood.

Today's Sun claims Mourinho sprinted out of Chelsea's player of the year awards and rushed home to Belgravia after his wife called to tell him police had arrived at their home and were trying to take the dog away to quarantine. Officials feared the dog had been taken abroad, then back to Britain, without jabs.

But Mourinho, apparently unwilling to surrender his pooch so soon after letting go of his Premiership title, is said to have confronted the police before grabbing the dog and releasing it onto the streets so that they couldn't take it with them. The Sun claims it was still on the loose last night.

"A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of obstructing police and was taken to a west London police station," said a Scotland Yard spokesman today. "He subsequently received a caution for obstructing police."

The spokesman said the dog was to be seized for alleged offences under the Animal Health Act of 1981 and the Rabies Order of 1974.

Mourinho, in case you don't follow European football, is the highly successful manager of the Chelsea Football Club, sort of the equivalent of Joe Torre. In his first year, Chelsea won the EPL title for the first time in five decades. They repeated in his second year. They came close to a third consecutive title this year. He makes American Express commercials. He is suave and elegant and impeccably dressed, even when pacing the sidelines during a Champions League match.

Which is why the vision of Mourinho stamping his feet, yelling red-faced at the police and, ultimately grabbing the Yorkie and turning him loose on the streets, is so amusing.

Oh, and if you see the dog, The Sun would like you to shoot them an email at exclusive@the-sun.co.uk.