Tuesday, April 05, 2016

A-Z Blog Challenge: D is for Dog

Dogs have always been a part of my life. My family was never without a dog and usually a cat as well and when I married that did not change. I brought my cat with me and we were soon were joined by our first dog and we've rarely been without one since. This first dog was a labrador retriever cross who came to us as a five week old puppy. Far too young really to leave her mother but it was unavoidable because her mother had developed mastitis and become seriously ill and unable to feed her litter. She thrived, repaying us with love. When I was suffering from severe morning sickness and confined to bed while pregnant with my first child she would creep onto my bed - something that was usually not allowed since I'm not a fan of dogs on beds - lying with a paw on my feet all day until my husband came home.

There have been others since then, of course. There was the rescued kelpie cross pup who had been abandoned at our local vet and who shared our lives for over sixteen years. Then, when my parents went travelling, their dog came to us. She was with us for another ten years before she died at a few months off twenty. And finally my sweet little Cavalier King Charles spaniel who died aged twelve and a half just over a year ago.

While it breaks your heart every time you lose a doggy companion, life doesn't feel complete somehow without one around and, while we are frequent dog sitters for Virgo's dog, it simply isn't enough. So now we are looking for another dog. All we have to decide is whether we want to take on a puppy or one that is somewhat past that stage. Whatever we decide we are agreed that it will be a rescue dog so we can give an otherwise unwanted dog a chance at a happy life.

Wish us luck.

5 comments:

Wendy said...

Awww. good luck! My husband has severe pet dander allergies, so after being raised with up to 4 cats and 2 dogs at one time, I have spent the last ten years without either. I guess it's actually a good thing that I find that the worst part of being married! Every time a dog would die, my mom would swear "never again," because of the sorrow. But a few months would pass, and she'd realize how much her home needed a dog.

Helen V. said...

Hi Wendy. Thanks for dropping by.

Imagine Me At Clarion

Jo said...

We haven't had a dog in quite long time now. Hubby was especially broken up when we lost the last one and then we moved into an apartment and decided it wasn't fair to an animal to be cooped up like that. Nowadays, neither of us would be able to take a dog for a walk, so probably just as well. However, like you I do miss having one. I wouldn't mind a cat but Matt doesn't like them.

Helen V. said...

Sorry, Wendy, I published that comment before I finished it. Yes, I am lucky that neither of us have allergy problems - at least as far as animals are concerned. I'm like your mother in that I always say never again and then find I'm unhappy without them.

Helen V. said...

We're lucky enough to still live in our own house, Jo, but dog exercise is an issue so we will have to choose carefully so both the dog and ourselves get the best out of life. Fortunately our daughter, who is a dog behaviourist and also does dog walking, just lives around the corner from us so if it came to the worst I'm sure she would take over.