Surprisingly, it was only in November 2013 that my friend Clare Coombes introduced me to Alina Dog Rescue because she knew I was looking to adopt a dog. How this came about is another story but Im proud and happy to say I have two adopted Alina dogs now, Agatha (formerly Sissi) and Lulu, neither of which are of the variety I had been planning for 15 years to adopt. I;m also now involved and passionate about the work Alina does. Thats a tale for another time but well done Clare. Yesterday Agatha and I celebrated two weeks of having Lulu in our lives and a whole week since she adopted us. Id like to say that cats Mac and Enid celebrated too, but this would be exaggeration bordering on a lie for Enid remains in residence in the airing cupboard, where she enjoys full room service, and Mac is developing an assortment of disdainful looks and half-hearted hisses to demonstrate the baby green-eyed monster growing inside him. The week has been an education for us all. Best of all, Lulu has learned to play and also to wag her tail. Lulu has learned to do her business outside; the neighbours have learned that the incomer is crazy and gleefully calls out things like: Good girl Lulu! Weewee outside! Weewee outside! at frequent intervals. Lulu obliges by no longer doing it on the carpets. Alas there has been some confusion. Just as when my daughters were babies, I am now getting used to broken nights once more, with Lulu signalling her need for toilet facilities (yes, I know, shes wheedled her way into sleeping in the bedroom which was not going to happen under any circumstances but we are working on this). I then race downstairs after her, fumbling to unlock the garden door with necessary haste, my feet freezing on the kitchen floor. Loud stage-whispers of Good girl Lulu! Weewee outside! follow. Upon reflection, this may well be why I do not appear to have visiting badgers as my neighbours do. I have finally identified the flaw in this method, the flaw responsible for the accidents that occur in the kitchen, the porch and - strangely - the hearth: all these locations are made of the same Cornish slate as the garden terrace. We are working on this, Today, during the usual Sunday walk in Valency Valley with my friend Jill and her dogs Bumblebee and Honeybear, Lulu had her first off-lead walk. The natural valley is beautiful with a river running down from the cliffs, eventually arriving in the natural slate harbour. High excitement indeed, Lulu sniffed and snuffled, played with the other dogs, paddled and - surprisingly - swam in the river, thoroughly enjoying herself and extremely well behaved. She even came back when called. Alas there was no reachable slate where we walked and so she saved her needs until we returned home to her garden. We are working on this, too. Both dogs now lie on the rug in front of the wood-burner, well walked, well fed and watered and, most of all, well loved. From Agatha: I LOVE my new sister - so long as my person doesnt love her more than she loves me. From Big Tabby Cat Mac: If any more of these barking canines with their idiotic behaviour and extreme obedience to humans come to live here I shall be heading back to London. From Black Cat Enid: If she thinks Im giving up this lovely top-shelf residence in a warm place, complete with the most excellent room service, ha ha ha - Im not!
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 19:18:17 +0000
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