MEETING MR WRIGHT

摘要

From the road, Janey Grocott's inner-city Wellington house hides its secrets. There's no hint of the extraordinary jewel box within and scant evidence of the owner's earthy, joie de vivre style. Apart, that is, from the Rue de Paradis street sign on the gate and a second notice on the other side of the gate, reminding visitors: "Dogs! Shut the bloody gate!" Yet another sign on the walk up to the front door warns of the "chien de tres mauvaise humeur" within.The chien in question is SPCA rescue dog Floyd the fox terrier. He is a metaphor for the house itself: a neglected gem that has sparkled under Janey's care and attention. Floyd came bearing a legacy of cruelty and beatings. "He was terrible at first," she recalls. "He tried to protect me and wanted to attack everyone else." Six years on, curled up by the fire, he is a calm and devoted companion, whose party trick is "singing" - best described as an earnest howling - on request.