Somewhere in my head for a long time, I have carried a picture of two dogs, one black, one blond, sharing my life and although over the years I have often had one dog to accompany me on my walks, two seemed an impossible dream; time, space, money, work, practical considerations all held me back.
So when my sister-in-law phoned me to tell me about her new puppy, a working cocker cross, with brothers and sisters waiting for their forever homes, I really tried hard to say no. Taking on another dog, rather like having another child, is a massive commitment and there is rarely a perfect moment, but she convinced me that this was a litter worth looking at, both parents living in a home environment and the puppies being raised in the house with children, all beautiful, healthy and well balanced.
I think the point of no return came when I picked up the phone just to have a chat with the breeder and found myself making an appointment to visit. My husband was no help at all and frankly encouraged me in achieving this long held dream and somehow we went from 'shall we have another dog' to 'which puppy shall we choose'? (Actually, he chose us). After all, if not now, when? Crazy I know but we will find a way to make it work and still have our freedom too. After all, if you have one dog, how much more of a problem can two be? No doubt we shall find out, but we are committed now and delighted to welcome Oskar to our family.
Are you a dog lover? Would you have been sensible, or like me, would you have followed your heart?
and some frosty Suffolk scenes...
