For the Love of Dogs

I'm animal bonkers, always have been, always will be. Pets are a big part of our family life. I previously introduced you all to our house rabbits, Halle & Rocky.  These are currently our only pets as we live in a flat but I have always had a dog in my life. I was born into a family with dogs and there has only been a short time when there's hasn't been a dog in the family. Even though we don't have one that lives with us in our flat, I still consider us to have a dog as my parents have one and therefore she is part of the family.  We spend a lot of time walking her and playing with her when we are at my mums and on my days off I'll quite often go get her so we can take her for a walk. 

This dog I speak of is called Lilah, short for Delilah. She is a rescue dog, as all of our pets are. She was rehomed by my parents from the Dogs Trust as a puppy and has been a part of the family from the offset.  She is extremely loving, she likes nothing more than a tucked in, on your knee cuddle. She is affectionate, loyal, very obedient & well behaved.  

When I was pregnant she would be at my side like glue from the minute I arrived at my parents house until I went home. She would lay across my ever expanding belly with her ear pressed to it, like she was listening to baby the whole time. Luca would kick her in the head and she never flinched.  The night I gave birth she paced back and forth from midnight (my waters broke at 11:55) till around 3:15 (I had him at 2:45), that may be a coincidence but it's an odd one if so.  The minute she laid her eyes on my tiny baby she was his guardian, she would check on him every so often to make sure he was ok, try to clean him, she'd snuggle in with us when it was feeding time and if he cried she was beside herself until I settled him.  She is the same now even though he's bigger and a cheeky toddler and if he falls she's at his side in a flash, she beats me to it everytime.  Luca  clambers all over her, tries to ride her, kisses her, plays with her toys with her and generally loves her to bits, and she loves him. If I tell Luca off for anything she pounces on me and fusses me, she can't stand it if she thinks he's in trouble. 

She's a very special dog for all these reasons and more. So without further ado I introduce you to Lilah.............

Our STAFFIE!!!

Besides being a fabulous pet, Lilah has reminded me that the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" is a saying worth adhering to.  Staffies get such a bad rap in the media at the moment, as do many other bull breeds but she, as well as many other Staffordshire bull terriers who are loving family pets, are proof that it isn't the breed that makes a dog aggressive, it's the owner.  

I am not an irresponsible mother, Luca is never left alone with her, but not because of her breed, simply because she is a dog and no animal should be fully trusted, or a child.  Luca has been taught from day one that you have to be gentle with animals, as you cannot blame an aminal for biting in defence, this is their only way of defending themselves.  If Luca was to hurt Lilah and she bit him then it would be Luca at fault, not Lilah. I don't want either of them to be put in an unthinkable situation and even though Lilah is a friendly dog, we remove as many factors that may lead to that as possible as we have done with every dog we've owned.

We also have two other dogs in our family, Zack the Lurcher, and Dibble the Chocolate Lab. 

Zack is my Boppa's dog so spends a large amount of time at my parents house.  However, he is allowed absolutely nowhere near Luca, despite being a lovely pet he is very highly strung, fast and due to his past a very nervous dog that freaks if you touch his ears or paws, not exactly desirable with a child in the house. 

Dibble is my elder brothers dog who he rehomed from a friend of the family.  He is a typical lab, dozy, friendly, loving, full of energy & greedy.  He loves Luca and gets so excited when he sees him, he loves that Luca will throw a ball for him for hours and will even venture onto the laminate floor if it's Luca coaxing him over.

If you ask me a family isn't a family until it has a dog in it. Our new branch of the family tree has a dog shaped whole waiting to be filled once we live somewhere suitable but until then Lilah has more than enough love to go around us all.  

If you are contemplating getting a dog I beg you to rescue, there are thousands of dogs looking for their forever home. You can find any breed you desire if you look around and for much less money, usually just a donation.  My second plea to you is to consider a less desirable dog, look into getting a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, so many need homes and they get overlooked because of their bad press of late. If not a Staffy, an older doggy or one that isn't so pretty. 

My second plea to you is if you don't want to rescue, then please ensure you buy your dog responsibly.  If you are buying a puppy do the research, ask to see them with their mum and help put an end to puppy farming. For more info on puppy farming click here.

Finally, whichever breed you think you want, once again, please do your research.  All breeds have different needs and if your a family who can only walk your dog once a day, you need a dog who only needs one walk a day.  Responsible dog ownership is the way forward to help stop anymore breeds being stigmatised against and hundreds of dogs being needlessly neglected, abandoned or destroyed.  Rant over!