MOLLY COMES HOME

I got the call. My puppy was ready. Mum was ready to see the back of her unruly offspring! The dog mother I mean.

Molly had a little orange collar on and all her siblings had had different coloured collars as they nearly all looked alike. Molly of course was the cutest. My eldest son came with me. We arrived with a good bottle of Veuve Cliquot to toast the occasion and by the time it was time to go I was a bit “out of the zone” so it was lucky I wasn’t driving.

Molly was mine. At last.

I staggered into the front seat with her in my arms and she didn’t make a murmur. I’d been away on a long holiday (I’d been advised to go away before taking on my dog as it would be some time before I could go away again) so Molly was the last of the puppies to go. I felt dreadful and really emotional. Emily, the mother, had disappeared as though she knew that was it.

I suddenly burst into tears as I realised I had torn this little thing away from her mother and brothers and sister. Even though it was only Mum left. What I was doing was to relate dogs to humans and how I would have felt if I had lost my children. Not sure whether it was the champagne or the emotion speaking. My son died of embarrassment. Luckily he didn’t die for long as he had to take the wheel.

Just before I went off on holiday I had taken an old t-shirt over to Mrs. Browning. She had put it in amongst all the dogs. It came away smelling of them all so when we drove away we had Molly, her orange collar, and a smelly t-shirt. It would calm her apparently and is a clever thing to do when you are taking a puppy away from all it has known. At least it has some smells of its old life and gives it some re-assurance.

I didn’t work for the first two weeks. I work a lot from home so it was easier BUT I didn’t take any phone calls. It was as though we were on a different planet.

I wanted to give Molly all my undivided attention. To have a happy dog I believe you have to put in a lot of time and trouble for those first few weeks. You can’t get a puppy and then leave it for hours at a time because it suits you. It’s unkind and spectacularly cruel. Then people wonder why their puppy is difficult. It’s not the puppy. It’s the thoughtless way you’ve behaved.

We had made part of the house puppy-proof. We’d changed a good 17th Century Oak Kitchen Table to a cheap pine charity shop table. We’d changed good 17th Century Oak Kitchen Chairs to cheap Stickback chairs. Anything of value that could have been chewed had been taken out and stored in an outhouse.

I knew puppies would chew. Everyone should know that. It’s a natural thing and puppies should NOT be punished for doing it. It’s to strengthen their teeth and to allow the baby milk teeth to fall out easily. Once that has happened they suddenly stop chewing. Then you can move your good furniture back.

I didn’t care if she chewed cheap stuff……..go for it girl!

I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Whoops…………

First of all though we had to get through the first night.

The pitiful crying of a lonely puppy left on its own for the first time in a strange home is horrendous.

What did we do? Did I survive? Did I go and comfort her?