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!
Miss hairy ears!
A fully grown up girl
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