Six Beautiful Souls

This year will be our first Christmas without a pet.

Back in 2001 my partner and I had our first Christmas together. We shared that day with a little black and white cat whom we had come to love. His name was Neil. One day the previous summer he had come up to us while we were sunbathing on a blanket. He lay down between us and fell into a deep sleep. He was a stray and was in very bad physical shape. He was asking for help. We were happy to get him medical care and become his new family. We were living in a flat with a No Pets rule so we had to hide him! After a year Neil moved with us to a country cottage. His days of dodging traffic were over. One day he brought a live, unharmed baby hare through the cat flap and carefully placed it on the living room mat. He was so gentle. He shared our home for sixteen years and had several doggy brothers.

In December 2002 we got Denver, our first rescue dog. He had been used as a bait dog before being rescued, a fact we found totally horrific. He had a lot of scars. The rescue centre told us he was ‘about five’ but our vet said he was closer to ten. We had him for four lovely years. On his first night with us we woke to hear him howling and assumed he was in pain, but this turned out to be a nightmare. Cuddles every time meant that he eventually stopped having them. He also stole slices of bread and hid them under the carpet. He had clearly had a difficult life. But in his new life he ran on the beach, walked in the wood and snuggled up with Neil at night.

In 2003, my ‘tug-of-love’ dog who’d been living with my ex, finally became ours. He now had two brothers. They all got along so well and we were a three-pet family. Alistair was a quirky, affectionate dog who howled along to ‘Coronation Street’ and ‘Property Ladder’ and was generally quite vocal. He gave wonderful hugs. He was also a fantastic guard dog. I always felt so safe when he was around.

After Denver’s time came Julian, a stray who had been run over in a city. His injuries soon healed. He was wolf-like and majestic! He arrived in 2007. He and Alistair both wanted to be top dog ~ a position that was established the first day we left them alone for an hour. The Battle of the Butter happened when one of them found a packet of Kerrygold we had accidentally left out. They had a tug of war over it! We arrived home to butter smeared all over the kitchen, their fur and the floor. After that, Julian was The Boss.

Jacob came after Alistair in 2010. He was an unforgettable character. We think he may have been kept in a shed or somewhere else isolated before rescue. He was frightened of his own shadow and everything else in the world but oh, what a personality he had. He was interested in everything in the house and garden, where he felt safe. He burst more footballs than we could count. His incredible tenacity gave him a unique kind of bravery.

Bojangles joined our family just before Christmas in 2017. He had been abandoned on remote bogland with a broken leg and left to die. The woman who found him carried him to safety ~ and he was a big dog. (They had a lovely reunion at a doggy event 2 years later.) The word that comes to mind when I think of him is ‘gentleman’. He was a joy to be with. He loved mixing with other dogs, so we took him to lots of small, local dog shows where he won many rosettes. Like all the others he was loved to bits.

And this Christmas? There is a space on our sofa for the first time. We are taking a little break. The house is very quiet. But it’s lovely to know that there may be another little soul out there who is destined to become our dog. Watch this space.