Sunday, 28 February 2016

This Little Girl


Lottie joined our family on the 9th of January this year when she was exactly eight weeks old.  I’m not entirely sure why or how this happened.  I’m a cat person.  I always have been and I always will be.  I did have a dog when I was 18 called Ralph Waldo Emerson III who was just a wonderful boy.  I have no idea what different breeds were all mixed up in his genetics, but he was fast, I can tell you that.  Since he died, it’s been cats all the way.  Many, many cats over the years.  Some made it to a good age and some were taken too soon.  After losing two in relatively quick succession on the main road outside out current home, we decided it was just too dangerous to keep cats so close to all the fast moving traffic, and we were a pet free home for a few years.


I've told the story of how Linus came to live with us before, so I won’t repeat it, but now we have Lottie.  We had talked about getting another dog as a companion for Linus, but had always said that because of the extra expense of insurance and vet bills, that we just wouldn't do it.  Then I got bored and started browsing the internet for puppies.  Well, when you start looking at all those cute pictures, you just get sucked into their adorableness and are swept away on a tide of love and longing.  I found some puppies that would be ready to leave home just after Christmas which seemed perfect timing, and we arranged to go and see them.  Once you hold that sweet little bundle and get licked by her puppy tongue you’re branded and there’s nothing to do but embrace the new addition.  Linus accepted her straight away, well he would because he’s the friendliest dog in the whole wide world, and over the weeks they have really bonded.  So much so that they share dog treats, and by that I mean they chew the same “bone” even though it’s only a few inches long.


She’s been a quick learner so far, brighter than Linus I think, which I feel a little guilty about thinking, but sometimes he really can be a dumb dog.  When she was old enough and had had all her injections, we took her out for her first walk.  It was not a great success as it was throwing it down.  She was cold and wet and a little unsure of everything so hardly moved at all.  The second walk was much better for her and she actually looked like she was enjoying it.  Today we were very brave and let her off the lead for the first time.  She was in a safe environment and we were very close by the whole time, but it was rather nerve-

wracking as she’s a nippy little thing.
 
She stayed quite close to us the whole time and happily trotted after Linus.  Not once did she look like she was going to run off and explore on her own, and she happily came back to us when called.  This may have been more because she got a treat when she did as she was told; she is quite a greedy little madam.


It made me happy in my heart to see them out together, exploring the wood and playing in the leaves.


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