The Christmas time has been a time for reflection and planning. Of course Lu figures large in such thoughts, and not least that she was on heat over the festive season, thus giving a splendid excuse to avoid the annual socialising [which I really do not enjoy].
I have two great confidants who love dogs, and I am very happy to listen to their words of wisdom. One is cousin Patty [Patricia] and the other is a lady I know who lives on Bringsty Common by Bromyard. I had hoped that one day before Lu is too old she might have a litter of puppies, and I would keep a bitch to run with Lu. Then my Bringsty friend poured a gallon of common sense cold water over that, by pointing out that Terriers [and not least Patterdales] are hard to find homes for as they can be extremely stubborn and require more patience than most dogs. This can lead to the dog being treated roughly, or even given up. That is what happened to Lu, so repeating the process would be simple stupidity. So I am taking her to the vet next week to ensure her heat is actually finished, and then we'll book a speying operation for twelve weeks hence. My friend said that if I want to run a young bitch with Lu I should look to get one from someone else ...
Well cousin Pat put the mockers on that. She said that would be a big mistake, as Lu has imprinted on me in a way that is all the stronger for her knowing what a bad home is like. I would inevitably not favour one from a pair so the attention I would be giving Lu would be more or less halved. It is not something to put a sweetie like her through as she is completely content to share her time with me, and increasingly simply politely ignores other dogs these days, preferring to socialise with humans on her walks!
The other pearl of wisdom Pat gave me was that Lu must never meet her original owner again, in case the little dog could think that she might be going back. One has to care for the psychology of a dog quite as much as for human friends.
Anyway she is just so chilled these days, and astonishingly brilliant at recall. She seems to know even before being asked. Here she is a couple of hours ago after a late morning walk and my Christmas lunch which was delayed by a fortnight's worth of Polish food that I have been eating since Christmas Eve! She had some of it after I had finished. I always do that.
IMG_1524 2 by
George Johnson, on Flickr
I think you can see how relaxed she is now, compared to months ago. And she is shining with health.
Best wishes from George
PS: I just noticed that in the back-ground of the photo, you can see my Pembroke [mahogany] writing desk, which blends very nicely with my recently acquired Pembroke dining table.
IMG_1419 by
George Johnson, on Flickr
The desk belonged to Granny Johnson's family since new! It is not in great shape, but has sentimental value for me, even though it is much repaired, including a much newer than original drawer, which does not match.