My Gotcha Day

 Today marks the fifth anniversary of me coming to live permanently with ‘Them Indoors’. As those of you familiar with my back story will know, it also marks the day that my previous owner, Sandra, died, so it is a day of mixed emotions. When I first came to live with ‘Them Indoors’ I was a very unhappy dog. Sandra was my world, and I hers. I’d had a horribly disrupted time whilst Sandra was ill: a long spell in kennels whilst Sandra was in hospital as my first foster parents couldn’t cope with me; I was left on my own whilst she had hospital appointments; there were strangers constantly coming to visit our home and Sandra was very poorly. Walks were intermittent, which is where ‘Her Indoors’ came in. As a Cinnamon Trust dog walker she came regularly to take me out. She still remembers the first time she met me. I was unsure, but she spoke to me gently, so I brought her my Teddy. We hit it off straight away, and Sandra could see that we liked each other, so, one day, the inevitable question came, if anything happened to Sandra, would ‘Her Indoors’ take me? The rest, as they say, is history.

I’m not going to lie, I was not an easy fur when I first arrived. I tiddled in the house, cried all night for nights and nights, had to have someone permanently with me as I couldn’t be by myself. I wouldn’t eat unless ‘Her Indoors’ fed me from her hand (the Boss quickly cured me of that by nicking my food!) and reacted to everything on walks: children, horses, bicycles and other dogs, with my displaced angst making me very difficult to deal with at times, I'm ashamed to say.

But things gradually got better. The Boss was very old but he set me an example about chilling. ‘Them Indoors’ kept the faith, the Cinnamon Trust supported us, paying for a dog sitter when ‘Them Indoors’ went out, a good trainer to help with my behavioural issues, and for neutering to help my anxiety and general behaviour. And gradually I blossomed. I ate, I started to play, I calmed down, I began to improve on walks. It took time of course, but I gradually became the fur I was always meant to be. 

And two final things have helped: the arrival of the apprentice and moving house. The apprentice adores me, and she shows me how to greet the world with confidence and love. She also looks to me when she is unsure and my role as Uncle Teds has helped me so much. I am calm when ‘Them Indoors’ are out (they know, they have a kitchen camera!), and my reactivity on walks has significantly reduced as Bear greets every fur as a potential friend. Moving house was an unexpected plus. ‘Them Indoors’ were worried I’d find it unsettling, but from the minute Bear and I came home from our holiday carers, Shirley and Paul, we loved it. I am more relaxed here than I have ever been. Perhaps it’s a fresh start, perhaps it’s the vibe of the house (‘Them Indoors’ loved it too, from the moment they stepped into the hall), perhaps it’s the garden without a certain neighbouring Leonburger lurking behind the fence, who knows…

So I just want to say a big thank you, to all the people who have helped. To Sandra, for looking out for me at her worst moments, to the Cinnamon Trust for supporting me and continuing to support me, to my holiday carers, Shirley and Paul, for their patience and understanding, to my occasional carers, friends Ann and Peter, likewise, to the Juniors for their patience, to the other furs in my life - the Boss and now Bear - for showing me the way, to the wonderful BT Posse for their support, fun, laughs and lack of judgment (no-one understands a BT like another BT and their lovely hupeeps) and lastly to ‘Them Indoors’ for loving me and loving me some more. ‘Her Indoors’ reckons that no-one loves her like me, and that if they did, she’d probably have to call the police! (she reckons I’m her stalker as I still don’t like her out of my sight and follow her around endlessly). Who would have thought, five years ago, when Sandra had died and things seemed so bleak, that it’d turn out so well. Life, as they say, is a strange, and sometimes marvellous thing.

                                                    Me, with my Teddy, at Sandra's 

  

Looking sad and out for a Cinnamon Trust walk, back in the early days

 

Me and the Boss, Rolo 

 

I owe him so much... 

One of my early tweet-ups

                                                            Learning to chill!

                                                            Enjoying motorhoming

                                                     

                                                                    At the controls! 

I love a convertible...

Woops!

                                                An apprentice of my own...

She's all grown up...

and still pinches my bed...

but I wouldn't be without her.

                                                        Happy Teds with 'Her Indoors'

 

 

Happy birthday Bear!

 Well today is Bear’s second birthday and it only seems two minutes ago she was a little scrap of nothing, charming the world with her puppy cuteness!

Bear was, of course, rightly chosen with me in mind. As well as taking some trouble to track down my breeder, ‘Them Indoors’ thought long and hard about what sort of fur would compliment my personality. I’m quite anxious, I don’t like change, and lack confidence. I’m also a bit reactive around other dogs that I don’t know. So Bear was chosen because she was the most confident puppy in the litter, her mum was a lovely natured, friendly dog and an experienced mum, who knew how to bring up a litter of puppies in true BT fashion. Bear’s breeder, Michelle, the daughter of my breeder, is also very experienced, and breeds BTs and Labradors who are all kept in the house, so Bear was already well versed in doggy social skills when she arrived.

She was a little force of nature right from the outset. ‘Them Indoors’ were slightly delayed in collecting her, as we had a short holiday booked, and she was almost nine weeks old, so there was only her and one other puppy, waiting to go to their forever homes. The other pup wasn’t as outgoing, so Michelle reckoned it had done her good to spend some time with Bear, bringing her out of herself. When ‘Her Indoors’ arrived to get her, Bear was the ringleader, thieving some tissues which she ran off with in her little jaws. This was definitely a sign of things to come….

Bear loved me from the first time she laid eyes on me. She spent the journey home (I was waiting in the car) trying to climb out of her car set to get to me. Her initial ambition was to get me to play with her, and I succumbed to that pretty quickly, being careful not to tug too hard in case I pulled her off her feet. After that, she made her way into my bed, my toy box and my heart.

She has, however, proved to be a monkey moo of impressive credentials. She steals, chews, escapes and wreaks havoc wherever she goes. But she is unfailingly good natured, bold to the point of recklessness, and loves every dog and every person she meets. She is the sweetest natured Border Terrier I have ever met and simultaneously one of the naughtiest. She is also, if I can be so bold as to mention this about a lady fur, a shameless tooter, who fires off rapid volleys that leave us all nonplussed and partially asphyxiated!

In spite of her little ways, two years on and we cannot imagine life without her. When she is unsure, or she senses I am unsure, she comes up and gives me little licky kisses. She is all that is best about Border Terriers: she is naughty, fun, loving and a big dog in a small body. We all love her. Happy birthday Bear!

                                                        She does love a cuddle!

When she was small enough to fit on a lap

                                                            Enjoying some beach time

                                        Bear’s mum, Willow. She obviously enjoys chewing too…..

                                                            One of the earliest photos

                                                    Bear in her first bed (got chewed to bits!)

                                                            Having a train ride

                                                            First day in her forever home

                                                                    With her litter mates

                                                        Sharing my bed!

                                                            One of her numerous thefts…

                                                        The first time she met ‘Him Indoors’

                                                        Showing her how to ask for treats.

                                                            Miss hairy ears!

                                                                A fully grown up girl

The circle of life…

 Today marks the day, four years ago, that we lost the Boss, Rolo. He was ‘Them Indoors’ first dog, was the fur that the Juniors grew up with and he had the casting vote as to whether I could come and live with ‘Them Indoors’ so he has a very special place in all our hearts. He was also a rogue, always into mischief, and even though he was a very senior fur when I knew him, there was no doubting who was the boss…and it wasn’t me!

This date is also significant for another reason. It is the date, two years ago, when ‘Her Indoors’ got confirmation from Bear’s breeder, that there was definitely a puppy for us from Willow’s litter. It felt like we had the Boss’s blessing. Now Bear is also a monkey-moo, in fact if anyone wants a hand choosing a naughty puppy, ‘Them Indoors’ are happy to oblige, they have a 100% success rate. Yet she is different to Rolo. He was a free thinker who didn’t worry too much about getting into trouble. Obedience was motivated by the ‘what’s in it for me’ principle and he was a formidable hunter in his day. Bear is also very interested in small furries, although she hasn’t managed to catch anything yet, but her naughtiness is of the theft and chewing variety with a sideline in escapology! There is no malice to her - she is the sweetest natured Border Terrier I have ever met, but, like the Boss, she is highly intelligent and easily bored…. She really doesn’t like being in trouble and gets very upset if ‘Her Indoors’ raises her voice to her. Even though she is a naughty fur, she is so joyful in her misdemeanours that she normally gets away with just a despairing ‘Oh Bear!’. She is actually quite obedient to commands, she just likes to make her own fun…

I feel privileged to have known Rolo, and although Bear can be a bit pesky at times, she absolutely adores me and I a very fond of her, in an over-indulgent Uncle kind of way. When I lived with my previous owner, Sandra, I was an only fur, and it is quite nice to have a companion. Much as I love ‘Them Indoors’ they don’t speak dog, and sometimes it is good to have someone around on the same general wave length. No fur replaces another, but I have a sneaky feeling Rolo would have approved of Bear. I am certainly glad to have had them both in my life.  

                                                    Me and the Boss. What a fur!

                                                            The apprentice, Bear, Dog love her!

February’s column