The Dog and the Bell
Notoriety is often mistaken for fame.
A SPITEFUL little terrier with a penchant for nipping people on the ankle didn’t quite understand why his master had given him a jolly little bell.
ONCE upon a time, there was a dog whose habit it was to bite people in secret.
But his master fashioned a little copper bell and fastened it around the dog’s neck, so everyone far and wide would know whether the dog was at their heels.
The dog was tremendously pleased with his bell, and went strutting about the town square, tinkling away merrily.
But an aged dog came up to him and said, “Wretched thing, what on earth do you have to celebrate?
“You aren’t jingling some medal for virtue or easy temper. You’re tolling a judgement on your own bad character.”
And the moral of that is, that it is easy to mistake notoriety for fame.
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
What had the dog been doing, to embarrass his master?