This week I present one of my animal teasers, a matchstick puzzle with an added touch!
I love animals, especially cats. For me, they have a grace in movement that is not to be found elsewhere in the animal kingdom. I suppose dogs are fine too, except they're always trying to get their nose in my food, but apart from that I can cheerfully announce that I'm a fan. However, there was once an irritating little pooch for which I was happy to make an exception.
Years ago, I shared a seventh floor student flat on the south coast of Wales with three others. My immediate neighbour was Loukas, a portly, good natured Greek with a round face, ready smile, and a mop of thick black curly hair. Trouble was, at times he could be annoyingly impulsive. Take for example the occasion when I arrived home after a hard day's studying to be greeted by a small puppy dog, a Bearded Collie, that Loukas (claimed to have) found wandering aimlessly outside. Now when I say 'greeted' I really mean 'assaulted' because our new flat mate Bubbles had a tendency to welcome people by enthusiastically tearing at their pants. However, my main concern was not the amount of sewing I'd have to do, but the dog's toilet training because the poo that Bubbles had just left in the kitchen did not inspire feelings of benevolence. Of course, Loukas had thought it all through. Over a period of a fortnight, he was going to cover his room carpet with newspaper for Bubbles to evacuate on, and then gradually reduce the area until the toilet was confined to one corner of his room.
As the days passed, Loukas updated us on his progress. His strategy was indeed paying dividends. Bubbles was now leaving his calling card on only a few sheets of newspaper. Then at last the triumphant day arrived! Bubbles was down to just one sheet (forgive the pun) and Loukas was clearly bouyant. I congratulated him on the success of his experiment and for a brief moment I managed to forget my frayed pants.
The following morning I was late out of bed, I don't recall why, perhaps there were no lectures that day. What I do remember is rubbing my eyes, stepping out into the corridor, and landing in a slippery deposit of dog poo outside my room door. Which neatly brings me on to this week's offering The Dead Dog Puzzle!
Shown is a cheerful-looking dog lying down and facing to the left with its tail in the air. Can you move one stick to another part of the scene so that the dog looks dead?
(Solution next Sunday)
Bubbles left our company shortly after ... Loukas found him another home. I like to think that he received good care, a large garden to run around in, and an owner who didn't wear pants!
Last Week's Solution
The answer to last week's teaser The Moving Clocks Puzzle is reached by arranging the clocks into one large hexagonal clock which shows a single time. Well done if you got it, and congratulations to David Whitlock who was the first to post the right answer. For his stellar performance, David won a free copy of "Innovation Generation" by Roberta Ness!
