YOU’VE heard of a cat on a hot tin roof well how about a dog on a cold slate one?

The picture of a black and white hound perched high above the ground, without a care in the world, was sent in by one eagle-eyed reader who happened to spot something different about the Abergavenny skyline when walking to work last Wednesday.

The have-a-go snapper explained, “I was late as usual and rushing along, but just as I was leaving St. John’s Square, I felt the strange need to look up because I became aware that something or someone was starring at me.”

Turning her curious eyes to the Heavens, our loyal reader noticed something uniquely different in the skies on that cold and still February morning.

Here’s a clue. It wasn’t the heavenly host, or a UFO, it was, as barking mad as it might seem, a dog on the roof of the Hen and Chickens Public House.

“I couldn’t believe it,” reported the plucky photographer. “I thought ‘Christ on a bike’ how did a dog get all the way up there? I could tell it was a spaniel and as a spaniel owner myself I know just how adventurous, thrill-seeking, and accident prone they can be. They’re like the SAS (Spaniel Action Squad) of the dog word. I was also worried that someone might try and coax it down or something, so I went to get help.”

Stopping the first gentleman she saw, our heroic dog-lover asked if he knew there was a canine on the roof, to which he replied, “Oh you mean Geronimo. He’s always up there prowling around. He’s safe enough. He belongs to the landlady of the Hen and Chicks.”

Feeling reassured, our concerned reader decided to take a snap of Geronimo for posterity and share it with the Chronicle.

Keen to find out more, we got in touch with Geronimo’s owner Kelly Keohane who explained, “Geronimo’s a young springer spaniel who we had not long after taking on the Hen And Chicks in February 2017. He’s a very friendly dog who enjoys going up on the roof to people watch. The door of our flat opens onto the roof, and sometimes when I’m working, I leave it open for Geronimo to have a wander.

“People usually pop into the pub off the street about ten times a week to ask me if I know there’s a dog on my roof, and should they call the fire brigade. I just tell them it’s Geronimo. All the regulars know him and he’s a big hit with everyone.”

The original Geronimo was a famous war leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Apache tribe. His name is translated as “the one who yawns.”

The tradition of paratroopers yelling, “Geronimo” before jumping out of a plane became popular after the the 501st Parachute Infantry Battalion put “Geronimo” on their insignia during the Second World War.

Kelly however, has no fears about her Geronimo jumping or even falling off the roof and added, “I’m never worried about him coming to any harm up there because he’s not stupid, he’s just a curious dog with a good head for heights.”

When asked for a comment Geronimo simply barked “Woof roof!”