‘No,’ I said, ‘I don't want another dog.’ It was too upsetting when my beautiful rescue, Murphy, had died a couple of years before. But my friend (a dog sitter) was conveniently and unavoidably going away for the weekend, so asked if I could look after one for a couple of days.
I already knew that the owner wanted to rehome the puppy. He was working 12 hours a day, and she had stopped eating or drinking and needed to be put on a drip by the vet.
We’re having a wonderful journey through life together
When I picked up the black ball of soft puppy fluff, she nuzzled into my shoulder and subsequently my heart, and we’re having a wonderful journey through life together.
She is exceptionally loving and affectionate, maddeningly barky and full of energy and delight. She passed her assessment to become a PAT Therapy dog and loves to visit patients and residents in care homes to soak up as much fuss as is doggily possible.
Five years ago, I brought my French Bulldog Albus home. I remember spending hours searching on the internet ‘how do I know if my Frenchie is happy?’, because he always looked so grumpy!
He always looked so grumpy!
I’ve come to the conclusion that he just has one of those faces. Over the years, he’s been by my side through some really tough times, and he’s definitely helped me to get through them all. He follows me around when I'm anxious, which reminds me to sit down and take a breather. Albus always gives the perfect cuddles and loves a smooch or two.
It’s become pretty clear that Albus is happiest when I’m happy – or when we leave him home alone and he’s free to snooze on the sofa!
Otty is nicknamed ‘the destructor’ because he’s just so clumsy. If he’s not knocking something over with his wagging tail, he’s slipping and sliding onthe wooden floor. He always gives me such a funny look afterwards, almost as though he finds himself as hilarious as I do!
He’s just so clumsy
Otty is also a stock-stealer, and our garden has become a graveyard for all of his buried treasure. He may be a big, fluffy disaster, but I wouldn’t have him any other way.
Our Sylvie is a Dalmatian cross Collie which means she’s all energy, stamina and chaos, but she’s our little cuddle bug, too!
She takes very good care of us humans and is an unofficial wellbeing officer when we’re working from home. If work ever leaves us feeling stressed, she climbs up onto our laps and won’t move until we’ve had a lovely de-stressing cuddle (and face lick).
We’re very lucky to have such a wonderful dog in our lives
She’s also learning DIY support, meaning she’s getting quite good at taking the tools away (now we’re just working on bringing them back!).
Her favourite games are hide and seek, chasing a ball and of course, anything that involves tearing up paper.
Sylvie makes every day brighter and we wouldn’t be without our sock-stealing, cheese-loving friend. We’re very lucky to have such a wonderful dog in our lives.
Koa is my heart dog.
He’s never unhappy – always wagging his tail and smiling. In fact, he makes even the saddest days bright.
He makes even the saddest days bright
He’s definitely a mummy’s boy and follows me everywhere I go, while also being independent, majestic and incredibly goofy.
Cooper came into our lives in December 2019. He is the most laid-back but equally energetic dog I've ever met. A lot of Cooper's development time was spent during lockdown, which was wonderful. He was my little working companion – he would sit on my knee and nap, and now, even though he's almost fully grown, he still does the same! He is a pleasure. He helps to wake up my two young sons every morning. I say: "Go and get the boys", and he runs upstairs and licks them until they get up!
He makes us all smile, every single day
One day, we were practicing recall while on a walk with Cooper. It was going great until he spotted a squirrel and did a complete U-turn and chased after it! Off into the bushes he went. They lead into the woods, so we were all shouting him back, but he didn't come back. The kids were distraught. I retraced the whole of our walk, shouting for him, asking passers-by if they’d seen him. No joy. I headed back to the field and told the kids to go home and wait on the step. I carried on the search, as did my husband, and were both becoming increasingly worried.
My husband called me 30 minutes later. I'd still not found him, nor had he. We both carried on searching, but it was getting dark. Another 20 minutes later my husband called saying, "He's home, he's with the boys". Cooper had come tottering back home, covered in all kinds, with a look on his face as if to say, "Where did you go?". We were over-joyed. We couldn't even be mad at him because of this look he had on his face. He makes us all smile, every single day.