I guess it would be good to start with the new man in my life...
He's not very tall but he's slim and handsome; sandy-coloured hair – some would call him a Ginger – and beautiful green/gold eyes. I confess his ears are a bit large and his nose is bigger than average but he's very attractive. I met him last August and he very soon moved in and really he's the love of my life now. We spend a lot of time together and he's a very good listener – he has been there for hugs when I've been down and done silly things that make me laugh in spite of everything. I'm not sure how I would have got through the last 14 months if it wasn't for him.
Thankfully, he's finally stopped chewing the cushions...
Meet Montmorency
In August last year, my friend Sharon was asked to foster two tiny puppies that had been found abandoned. They were just too tiny to be put into kennels so Sharon put them in a spare room at her house. Just 5 weeks old and not really old enough to have left the litter, they were just the cutest, most pathetic little things. I went round to visit (of course!) and I just fell in love.
I've never owned a dog. My mum and dad always had dogs when we were children and I used to walk them and play with them, but I've never had one – I've always thought of myself as a cat person. To be honest, I had no idea how to look after a dog, much less a tiny puppy, so I Googled every bit of information I could - I have to give a big Thank You here to Zac George* – a YouTube dog trainer who's advice and style have been amazing – especially for a complete beginner like me.
So we eventually agreed – I would keep one puppy and Sharon would have the other – and one tiny puppy moved in.
A word about his name
I'm sure most of you will have heard of or read the English classic book 'Three Men in a Boat' by Jerome K Jerome, but what you may not realise that the full title is 'Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)' - the dog's name is Montmorency and he travels on the boat with the said three men. As you know, I love water – swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, sailing – so I thought it would be great to have a dog like Montmorency who would share these things with me; he and I would swim in the sea together, he would sit proudly in the bow of the kayak or relax on the paddle-board as we drifted on the summer waves; he would be my crew on board a sailing boat, watching all alert as we put about or made a dead run...
Except - Montmorency hates water.
He won't go out if it rains and if there are puddles he daintily steps round them; he runs away from the hosepipe and howled when he once got splashed by a very small wave at the beach; when I go swimming, he lies on the side of the pool with his head on his paws, convinced that I'm never coming back; in other words, if ever there was a misnomer for a dog, it's Montmorency.
Right: Montmorency with his brother Dobby - just look at those ears!
Still, he's now a year old and I couldn't be without him. I can't say he's well-trained, despite Zak George, but he's my friend and my boy. We walk and play and talk about life; he chases rabbits while I walk in the olive grove and he patiently waits under the table when I stop for coffee near the beach; we cuddle up on the sofa while I rub his belly and sing to him (he doesn't seem to know how to put his paws in his ears yet). He pretty much is my life – where I go, he goes unless he has a day at the dog sitter's while I go food shopping or other places dogs can't go.
So there it is – my companion in my new life and I'm very glad to have introduced you to him.
Link to Zak George:
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