A man's best friend

May 2023 Dave, PinkUk

Part one | Part two | Part three.

When I was very young, we had a few pets, a cat, some goats, I think we had seven goats at one time, we used them for milk. I had a note for school so I would be excused from the free milk you got at school in those days before Thatcher stopped it entirely. I also kept bees and was the youngest bee keeper in Gloucestershire at the time. In my late twenties I had a German Alsatian, an ex-RAF guard dog and a brute of a fella. But he was not a pet, more of a working dog and used for protection, when I was a water bailiff.

I would hear on the news that someone had drowned saving their dog, and think what an idiot it’s only a dog, serves them right. I would see a homeless person with a dog, and think you can't be that skint if you need to feed a dog.

Just less than four years ago, my best friend, Rob, got a Welsh Show Cocker Spaniel. I was stunned to find out they paid £450 for her, I was being naive, or may be getting old, and how the cost of everything has gone up. This was before the pandemic, after the start of the pandemic they were going for stupid money, £4,000+.

They named her Lady, Lady Madonna, could you not get more camp? As soon as they got back from Wales after picking her up, I saw her. Such a timid wee thing and sooo cute. She would not leave Rob’s lap for two days. It was not long before I started to play with her and take her on walks. Her two dads at the time were disabled and could not take her on long walks. Lady & I started to get on so well on our 4-hour walks, with lots of play time. She was very timid, she would run from other dogs very scared, if a crisp packet flowed past or she would see a bin liner she would cower and run away, then look at me with her soppy eyes as if to say ‘help me’ ahh, bless her. I dread to think what she had experienced in the past when she was a puppy. She still has some bad separation anxiety. Being such a nervous timid thing made her such a loveable girl.

We got that close she would go crazy each time I would visit and I basically fell in love with her. She would never go more than 10m away from me when out walking. I started to realise that they are much like us, and I started to come to the conclusion that most animals must have the same feelings. Emotions. Jealous, loss, happiness, sadness, worried, anticipation etc. Look at Elephants, over death, not with their one kind but with some humans that they have known for a long time. This is a moving story Elephants walk 12 Hours every year to pay respect to human friend who passed away seven years ago

I started to realise that I was an idiot with my original thoughts. What good company a dog is for someone that is homeless and down with their luck. I would defiantly risk my life to save Lady, ‘My Baby Lady’.

Her dads lets her stay over at mine some nights, which was a great privilege. After her dad Rob, I think I became her second most favourite person.