Pronking.

pronk |prô ng k; prä ng k|verb [ intrans. ](of a springbok or other antelope) leap in the air with an arched back and stiff legs, typically as a form of display or when threatened.ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from Afrikaans, literally ‘show off,’ from Dutch pronken ‘to strut.’

I was listening to the BBC Today program discussing children being taught to spell in English primary schools. As well as real words, the kids were also expected to be able to spell made-up words which had the presenters rushing over themselves to make up silly words, one of which was "pronk". Being Radio 4, it didn't take long for the tweets and texts to flood in explaining that "to pronk" was to jump up vertically, all four feet leaving the ground at the same time, a la lambs, kittens and antelopes. As I listened, I looked outside to see Jake do an amazing "pronk" almost up to the shoulders of my six foot plus husband. The image and word are now firmly imbedded in my memory for future Scrabble and crossword use. 

I'm afraid Jake is not in the mood to pronk today. To fulfill a promise I made to Karen at TAG, we took him to to be neutered on Tuesday.  It would be unforgivable to let a rescue dog be the reason for any more unwanted dogs on the street. The staff at Pethane were great, but we weren't quite quick enough with the plastic collar so the turquoise antiseptic transferred to his face.  As it's indelible I better start coming up with witty responses to explain why our dog has a blue face.  All suggestions gratefully received.