First Week.....

Apologies to all you non-dog lovers. Skip this one. I promise the next post will not be about dogs. But this one is, unshamedly so. Lainy has already brought such joy and love to my life, I would never have realised, so soon after losing Moll.
They are both very different characters. Moll was very self contained, very sure of herself, doled out love in specified doses. Moll was not about unconditional love. But the love that she awarded was all the more precious.

Lainy, despite her difficult start in life, is incredibly loving and bonds very quickly. She is trusting of me but very nervous of strangers. I say to friends, don't lean over her, don't put your hands out, let her come to you. Those that ignore this advice may get nipped. Plus when she's stressed, she has a tendency to nip people's ankles when they are inside and suddenly stand up. A dear friend suffered a nip when this happened.

So there is work to be done - as with most dogs, least of all rescue dogs. If you think of the work that goes into training a puppy, that is phenomenal. Lainy needs time to gain confidence and realise that strangers in the house can be friends, and won't hurt her (and are supplied with treats). And I really look forward to that day.

With all the news of further restrictions, and autumn/winter approaching, there is little to celebrate. Although as I write, the sun has come out. I am getting on with what I hope is the final edit of my novel. There is other stuff on the horizon (book stuff that is, to be announced at a later date). Lainy is asleep behind me as I write (just like Moll did) and I take huge comfort knowing that she is here, with me, and loves me already. As I love her, very strongly and powerfully. Whatever happens over the next six months, we have each other.

And that, together with my dear friends, old and new, is worth celebrating. Pip said to me once, "life's easy when things are going well. It's when things are difficult that you find out about yourself, and need to be strong." So to all my friends - let's help each other through this next tricky phase. Walking in the fresh air, talking, laughing and crying. And I have the honour of doing it with Lainy.

First Day Home

For the last few weeks, I have been walking Lainy with her foster carer, and consulting with the friend who is involved in the charity that Lainy orginally came from. Sorry that this is still in a lump but Rew hasn't been able to get over to help with the formatting..... I hadn't realised how emotional life has been until I went away with a dear friend last weekend.She was exhausted, too, and it hit us when we stopped - as life often does. So we had a very peaceful and relaxing time exploring the area around Polperro - and Moll came too, albeit in her little wooden box with MOLLIE engraved on it. She sat by the telly so she could watch proceedings - ie cooking and eating - so she was in her element. We came back on Monday and on Tuesday I met Lynn and Lainy and another friend and dogs. I hadn't seen Lainy for nearly a week but she bounced up to me with such joy that all fears I'd been having about taking her on vanished. I mean, the worries were about this huge, life changing event, and the fact that she has had a difficult time inthe past and there's just me to sort out her problems. Though it's not just me, as Lynn and Bridget are in constant touch bless them. Anyway, we arranged that I'd bring Lainy home on Wednesday, after a walk with Lynn. I was so nervous by this time, trying to remember everything I should and shouldn't do to help her. We got home and inside, and she looked at the front door hopefully, then trotted in to inspect everything, as she had the day before. After lunch I sat outside in the back yard while she met Mel and Joe upstairs and lay down behind me while Mel and I chatted. Then, a bit later she jumped onto my lap - this is Lainy, not Mel - gave me a good lick, and since then she's been amazing. Slept in her bed through the night and is now lying behind me fast asleep as I write this. Of course there are going to be teething problems as we get to know each other better, and I understand her issues, but so far - and it's still only Day One - she has been incredible. I;ve been advised to take things really slowly with her, which is what I'm doing. So while I know everyone wants to meet her, please be patient. This is a dog who needs a lot of TLC. She has won my heart already, which helps with the massive sinkhole left by Moll. And it's lovely having a dog who, unlike Moll, is very tactile. I'm doing lots of reading and going to do ongoing training with her, and look forward to a happy life together. Even the Tooth Fairy, who was a bit sceptical about this new arrival, looked at her yesterday and said, "She's beautiful." Pause. "And I don't even like brown dogs." Hah!

A New Chapter

First of all, apologies for all this being in one paragraph. I still haven't found out how to make Blogger acknowledge carriage returns. Anyone any ideas? In the meantime, everything comes in an indigestible lump. Anyway, the last few weeks have been hard without Moll. Harder than I would have thought possible. Especially the evenings and at nights. But by a curious set of coincidences, a week after we lost Moll, a friend put me in touch with someone who is fostering a dog that needs adopting. It turns out the lady from the charity involved originally lives round the corner from me and I was about to knock on her door anyway. Then it turns out I know the person fostering the dog from when Pip was alive. A very small world! I've had six walks so far with the dog and her foster carer and so we've got to know each other and I know about her quirks and wobbly tendencies. (She has yet to learn mine.) And to cut a very long story short, my home check has just been approved, so as from next Wednesday I will have a darling dog living with me. Home really isn't home without a dog, and while no one can ever replace Moll, I really look forward to getting to know this new one, having lots of fantastic walks and adventures, and being part of my life. She is part Spitz and part all sorts, by the way, aged 4. No pictures yet. She is very intelligent, loyal, athletic, loving and underneath a little insecure because of her past. I hope we can make each other very happy - it's as if Moll sent her to me, knowing how I feel. This was taken last Sunday, just after we'd picked up Moll's ashes (not ready to scatter them yet). We were walking along by St Agnes Head and I looked up and said, "Look - there's MOll looking down on us....)