Many of us have dogs, or long for a dog. Visit Fylde Coast resident blogger Chrissie has always been an avid animal lover. Even from a young age, horses and dogs were always her thing. Here’s her take on living with a dog.
When you Get Married…
I always wondered if I could get a horse in our garden shed, oh the dreams of a child.
My second love was to own a dog, but no, my mother was steadfast in her convictions. She was definitely not an animal lover and a dog was not going to darken her doorstep. She always said, ‘you can have a dozen when you get married’.
So, I waited until my daughter was six, and went and bought an adorable tri-colour Cavalier King Charles puppy. It was love at first sight. But I must say, not having had a dog before, it was quite a shock to realise what went into owning a puppy.
It was great fun buying all the bits and pieces you need to keep a dog. But then the hard work of house training and all the other tasks of living with a dog began.
She was a great dog Petra, and became my soul mate. She had eyes for only me and wouldn’t leave my side. I was rewarded a thousand-fold for my input into looking after her by her unwavering love and devotion. Unfortunately, she began to have health problems from the age of ten month.
These carried on until her death at ten years old. Some people said they wouldn’t pay for all her vets bills, and would have her put down. No way on God’s earth. While ever she was happy would I do this, such is the love you feel for your friend. She was finally put to sleep on my knee, feeling very calm and safe that she was with her beloved mummy.
Living with a Dog – and Grieving for Them
I cried non stop for ages, such was the depth of my grief, and vowed I wouldn’t go through that pain and loss again.
But I missed the love of a furry bundle, and eventually got my second Blenheim Cavalier, a boy this time called Toby.
What a difference he was, headstrong and always a boy at heart. Still very loving, but not like my first dog. His greatest love was the nearest lamp post or tree – we went on a drag, not a walk.
Every day at the same time he demanded his walk, and off we went, until three miles later when he was happy. This went on through rain, snow, or any weather. My poor dog had a heart murmur, which eventually took his life, and once again on my knee. I vowed that this time that was it.
Living with a Dog – Times Two!
But my daughter once again nagged at me to fill the emptiness, so I succumbed and we ended up with two bitches this time.
I had the feeling I must be mad. But as any dog lover will tell you, you can’t help yourself. Katie and Lucy were my life and soul, and double the trouble, but the house was full of fun again and a lot of noise! Lovely.
Our two dogs were fantastic companions, and one of them (Lucy on the left) again became my soul mate. I will never get over the love I felt for this little dog. She was mine, totally and utterly, and we had lots of pleasure from them both. That was until we heard the dreadful words ‘heart murmur’ and thought ‘this can’t be happening again’.
But it was, and once more we had to go through the pain of losing our wonderful companions. I cried many tears for my sweet friends, and still miss them terribly. Such was the depth of love I felt for my dogs. This might seem odd to a non dog lover, but they become in tune with you. They pick your moods up, they are fun and entertaining and bring a lot of love. After all, they live in your house and are with you all the time. So how can you not love them?
Here We Go Again!
Once again, I said, ‘never again, I can’t go through that pain’. But, yes, I got my two little rascals, boys this time called Koko and Muffin. So once again the house is filled with fun and two cheeky little chaps.
Unfortunately, despite trying to avoid the problems created through breeding, they both have genetic knee problems. It’s been upsetting, but we just hoped not to hear the dreaded words again of heart problems. Sadly, yes we did. Little Koko has had a grade 4 murmur for a couple of years now. Thankfully, after being at death’s door, he rallied and soldiered on. You’ll never believe what he takes… with another cocktail of tablets he’s on Viagra! It’s been wonderful – you’d never know he had anything wrong. Long may he continue!
Why Do we Do it?
So why do we bother? Why do we take such pain upon ourselves?
I think it is because we have a need to love and be loved and to give an animal a good home. It breaks my heart to hear of animal cruelty. I can’t bear the thought of anyone being so hateful to dumb animals who trust you. I know what I would do to such people, but I’d get arrested!
An animal brings unconditional love, it doesn’t care if you are old, wrinkled, fat, thin. Or the million other things that upset people. All it asks for is food, warmth, exercise and lots of love. Yes, they bring pain and worry and we’ve had our fair share of both. But when I look back on the lives of our dogs, I wouldn’t change a thing. The years of loyalty more than makes up for the pain of losing them.
They can be so entertaining too. Two dogs are twice the doors to open for a wee, and twice the trips to the vets. But otherwise it’s not really double the effort of one. They do entertain each other too, certainly as puppies and young dogs it’s easier for them to play together rather than with you all the time! You wouldn’t know that ours had a thing wrong with their legs. Even at nearly 11 they chase round the room at 100 miles an hour after each other. Throwing themselves around the furniture like lunatics and then collapsing in a heap, panting.
You might also like:
The Downside of Living with a Dog
I look at my two asleep by the side of me and rejoice in their little lives. That I can be capable of loving two little creatures so much.
Make no mistake, it can be expensive – and we’ve tried insuring. But it’s like a lottery, as with any insurance, you can go years and not claim, or claim none stop. After insuring our last two dogs, we found we were definitely on the losing side. The premiums became so high as they got older it was ridiculous. Also, the excess gets greater as they get older too, so it needs thinking about. We’ve not insured these two, and will have to wait and see.
Make no mistake, you can’t be selfish and keep dogs. They need feeding, exercising, cleaning up after, and a lot of love and care. In other words, if you have no self discipline and like to put yourself first, don’t think about living with a dog. It’s not all pretty faces and walks on sunny days. Sacrifices have to be made and vet’s bills to be paid. And you have to think about the welfare of a creature who’s totally dependent on you for its life. If you think you won’t be bothered to feed it properly or look after it or even love it, you shouldn’t consider having a dog. It’s a big responsibility.
I can definitely recommend having a dog. But be very sure it’s what you want, not the seven day wonder of a new puppy. Don’t have one if you don’t like walking or work or can’t commit yourself. Otherwise, go ahead and have years of reward.
While you’re here…
Have a look at the homepage of the Visit Fylde Coast website for more of the latest updates.
Love the Fylde Coast? Sign up for your weekly email newsletter. Packed full of interesting things it arrives in your inbox all 52 weeks of the year.
Join us on Facebook at our Visit Fylde Coast Facebook Group
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @visitFyldeCoast
