Not so helpful...

Jack is usually a pretty intelligent dog, and has little interest in birds aside from watching them. (Cats and very small dogs are a different matter...) However, this afternoon, I found him trying to get between the fence and a lean-to plank of wood. He managed it and emerged with a baby magpie delicately held in his rather large mouth. I told him to drop it, and he did (what a good boy!), and thankfully he hadn't damaged it at all - well, not physically. I put the bird in a shoebox and stuck it back where he found it. He clearly wasn't trying to eat or hurt the bird, although its swooping magpie parents thought otherwise, but his repeated rescue attempts this afternoon have been less than helpful and I've given up and stuck him in the laundry until John gets home to solve the problem. For a smart dog, he's not too clued into his own size and strength.