How the Dalmatian got her spots – a tale of printer ink cartridge angst.

Princess Charlotte

I have always loved computers. From the very first day the ‘286’ arrived in the lab, it was love at first sight.

I have always hated printers. From the very first day the ‘tractor feed’ arrived in the lab (the next day – as it were) I have hated them.

They hate me too. However, when closing the door on the lab for the last time (for the time being at least) I thought I had left that jinx far behind … little did I know. Now read on:

Once upon a time there was a Dalmatian and like all Dalmatians at that time she had a beautiful, completely unblemished, white coat. Now this Dalmatian was called Princess Charlotte because she was a Charlotte and a Princess. And because she was a Princess she thought she could chew whatever she wanted. Some days she would chew shoes, which were nice. Some days she would chew wood, which was fine. Some days she would chew empty printer ink cartridges in the office of the writer whom laughingly called himself her master.

One day ‘master’ got a large delivery of very reasonably priced black printer ink cartridges that he found online at a rather good site. Princess Charlotte looked at the package sitting in the writer’s study, regally scratched at her beautiful, completely unblemished, white coat and thought: Hmmm.

Now time went by and the cartridges lasted very well and ‘master’ soon forgot he had bought so many black printer ink cartridges that he had put some of them in a ‘safe place’. Now like many other ‘safe places’ its exact location was soon forgotten in the mess that passed for organisation in the writer’s study.

Princess Charlotte had not forgotten.

And one day when ‘master’ was out, Princess Charlotte found herself a black printer ink cartridge in the ‘safe place’ and began to chew. In modern times printer ink cartridges are made to be very robust and sturdy and Princess Charlotte was frustrated in her chewing. No matter how hard she chewed, or how much she shook the cartridge she could not get into it. So she thought: “I know, I bet if I take the printer ink cartridge onto the master’s new rug I’ll be able to chew it!”

And she did!

The dog and the rug!

She chewed and chewed and shook and shook the printer ink cartridge and the ink came out everywhere – all over the rug and all over Princess Charlotte! The more she shook the more came out and quickly she (and the rug) was covered in big black spots! Such big black spots! And because modern printer ink is now so indelible, doesn’t fade or smudge, the spots never ever came out of Princess Charlotte (or the rug).

And that is how the Dalmatian first got its spots! Ok, maybe it isn’t – but that’s how the rug got its spots!