So there’s these two dogs playing in the sand of the volleyball court on the sea front. I can’t help it, they look too cute, Its almost like they are dancing and so I have to photograph them. Then I have a brief chat with the owners about the glorious optimism of dogs. Apparently every night the two owners take the dogs to the beach and every night the little scallywags go through the same routine, as if they’ve known each other all their lives, but also as if every night, they’ve fallen in love for the first time.

This itself is enchanting, but here’s the extraordinary thing: Moments before, while I was taking the pictures, the scraggy brown one spotted me, or rather, it spotted my camera lens, raced over to me, jumped onto the low wall surrounding the court, gave me a big woofy grin and, honest to god, it posed. This was all over in a second and I was so startled I didn’t take a picture in time before it was off again, but it really happened.

As far as I am aware, dogs do not know how cameras work or what they are used for. As for posing, I have always been under the impression that when this happens at Crufts or on youtube videos it is more to do with obedience, training or the promise of a biscuit, not that spontaneous and brilliant reaction you get with accomplished film stars from the golden age of Hollywood. So I am now wondering, is it possible that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (or maybe some other screen couple: Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn..?) have been reincarnated as dogs living in Brighton and by some amazing chance, found each other again, off screen, in a different life?

Why not? Anything’s possible. If I see them again I’m going to shout ‘Ginger!’ and see what happens.