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I’ve had pets since I was a little girl. My first ever pet was a hamster called Hammy (original) and she lived until she was a record-breaking 7 years old! I loved her so much and relished everything from playing with her in her hamster ball, teaching her tricks, feeding her treats and even cleaning out her cage to make a fresh new bed. She was my furry little buddy.
After Hammy went off to hamster heaven we had guinea pigs – four of them – Cliff & Richard and Elvis & Presley. Clearly my aunty with questionable music choices named those. They were pretty cool dudes too and I loved and cared for them right until the end.
I always however wanted a dog, but was unable to have one as Daddy xameliax is allergic. I’d have hundreds of pup shaped cuddly toys, always pick the dalmation shaped balloons at the fair and get incredibly giddy when we saw a dog out and about. So when I moved out into my own place I knew having a four-legged friend of my own wouldn’t be too far off.
Regular readers and watchers of xameliax will know that my first dog was an elderly rescue named Wilson who was blind, deaf, pretty much incontinent and grumpy as hell! He was a real oddball but I fell in love with him as soon as we saw him on the shelter’s website and decided to adopt him. He was sadly only with us for 18 months before his old bones and hard past life caught up with him and he to be put to sleep, but by then the true happiness of having a dog (albeit a rather miserable and hard work one!) had snuck it’s way into my heart and I knew I would have to go one step further and raise my very own.
The Biggest Furry Decision I Ever Made!
I’m not one to jump into decisions willy nilly, even if it’s a simple one of which flavour ice cream to get for movie night or switching to a different brand of tea bags, I weigh it all up. So as you can imagine, deciding to bring a puppy into my world was a biggy. I read all the books I could get my mitts on and researched breeds until they could have been my specialist subject on mastermind!
I finally decided on a fox red working cocker spaniel (with a white bib!) and settled into the knowledge that I may be waiting a while to find my perfect pup from a breeder I trusted with all the health, family, colour and personality boxes ticked. I started my search, visiting a number of litters and getting a little disheartened as none of them felt right, when low and behold a litter of spaniel pups had just been born and there was one boy left – red with a white bib!
I rushed over the next morning and instantly fell in love with the squeaky, soft and playful bundle of joy that was (soon to be)Toby in my arms. With just a week to go until they were ready to leave I puppy proofed the house, got all my essentials and prepared to bring my new little buddy home!
I can’t even begin to describe how excited and nervous I was on the day I picked Toby up. My best friend Lucy drove me down and I had a million thoughts racing through my mind all at once. Have I read enough care books? Will I be a good puppy mummy? Have I got enough poo bags?! But as soon as the breeder put him into my arms I just knew it was the right decision, that it was the start of something wonderful and that everything was going to be ok.
The first few months were tough.
Sleepless nights, constant puddles on the carpet, chewed up slippers, the lot. It’s not easy raising a puppy that’s for sure. But apart from a few sleep-deprived tears whilst cleaning up the 10th accident for that day I knew that Toby was going to change my life.
Fast forward 5 months and my little puppy isn’t so little anymore! He’s 7 months old now and shaping up to be the best little pupster I know (although I may be a little biased here!). He can sit, lie down, roll over, shake your hand and even give you a high five! He waits for his dinner, comes back at the toot of a whistle and just LOVES cuddles. Oh, and I’m pleased to say there are no more accidents on the carpet….although I still find holes in all my socks, that’s a work in progress!
I honestly don’t know what I’d do without this mad little ball of fluff. He’s been the reason I’ve got out of bed on those mornings it seems impossible. He’s made me laugh when all I’ve wanted to do is cry. I’ve found a whole new level of love that I’d not experienced before. And I’m never alone.
He has absolutely no idea that he’s done all those things for me, but he truly is my best friend and I truly can’t wait to spend our years together.
“A home without a dog is just a house”
xax