Joey

My "Dark Passenger" And Me.

Joey.

So I thought I would tell you all a bit more about our little gremlin, Joey.

We adopted Joey after a lot of consideration from West Calder Dogs Trust. They didn't have much of a history on him other than that he had been dropped off at the pound and was a day away from being destroyed. 

He is a 1 and a half year old staffie cross (possibly lab) who is friendly with people and other doggies. He is extremely affectionate and will offer lots of kisses, but can get a little bit excitable meeting new people and tends to jump up and lick their ears. He loves very much to play with other doggies but knows no boundaries and may invade their personal space, whether they like it or not! He will however, abide when told off. 

Joey loves to play with his toys and can fetch quite eagerly but his most favourite thing to do is chew. We think this may be because he is teething, however, he is a staffie, and Stafford Terriers are known to chew! 

He likes a bit of rough and tumble with his daddy, but knows mummy isn't as strong and takes his time with her. The noises he makes when he is playing really do sound like a gremlin, hence the nickname! Most of all though, he loves a snuggle! He cosies up to us on the couch, he has his own bed in which he builds himself a fort to get comfy in and sometimes, not often, but sometimes he gets to come on our bed for a snooze. He makes THE CUTEST comfy noises. If we didn't know it before, his comfy noises just finalised our decision that he was ours! He actually sounds like he's saying "mhm" when he's all cosied up!

When out for walks Joey is better off the lead than on. When on the lead he tends to pull a bit, but is getting better with training. But when off, he doesn't stray too far, always checks that he can still see us and comes back when called. He tends to have his nose to the ground but if he sees a bird or rabbit he will charge off to chase them. The best thing about walking Joey off the lead is the smiles you get. As you can see in the pictures, his smile is just precious!

We have a few places to take Joey off the lead, always in spacious areas where he can explore to his hearts content, but around roads he is not very streetwise, so needs to stay on the lead around estates and busy roads. When Joey is able to go off the lead, he is just amazing! He did get a bit of a fright when around water for the first time. We were with another dog who loves the water and when he ran into the river, Joey automatically followed and jumped into a bit that was too deep for him. His immediately jumped back out and hid behind his mummy! He will paddle in the water, but will not go right in - which actually is a good thing because drying Joey is all a big game!

I'm sure there will be plenty more stories to tell you, which I intend to share, but for now Joey and I are going to snuggle up and watch some TV.  Have a nice evening everyone!

~ x ~ x ~ X ~ Susi ~ X ~ x ~ x ~

Time for Change

My "Dark Passenger" And Me

Time for Change

Good afternoon, I trust we are all well?

So the last few posts have been very personal and quite heavy reading, so I felt it was time to make a more optimistic blog for a change! 

I know I have talked about loneliness and isolation before, and that is still a very real issue to me. Whenever my mood dips I can now see when I start to withdraw and isolate myself. 

More recently Dave and I decided to adopt a doggy. We have been thinking about it for some years now and it seemed like the right time to look. 

Before I go any further, I have to admit that I have been quite ill (physically) for the last month or so, when we went to look at dogs I was wrapped up like a Christmas present with a hat and scarf on!

We went to West Calder Dogs Trust and looked around at several dogs. We took not of the doggies that we liked and went back to the reception to get a history on them. We were very surprised by the attitude of the carers, who gave a list of reasons why the dogs were not appropriate for us, before answering our questions. After having been through a number of dogs, Dave and I took one look at each other and turned what felt like an interview around on the carer, asking him who he felt would be suitable for us. He gave us about 3 dogs names, went through their profiles and entered the kennels again for another look.

Joey caught our eye. 

They didn't have much of a history on him other than that he had been dropped off at the pound and was a day away from being destroyed when West Calder stepped in and took him. They knew he was good with people and other dogs but didn't have a huge amount of information on him. I bent down and placed my hand close to the front of the cage to give him a sniff, he immediately started to lick my hand and rolled over on his belly. Dave asked if we could take him on a walk, which we were allowed to do around the man made path around the centre. 

He pulled a bit on the lead, but his face said it all. Dave had gone ahead in front whilst I got something out of the car and had told Joey to wait. When I approached Dave said "who's that?" And Joey bounded up to me with a smile on his face and snuggled into me. That was it for me. Decision made! 

I went to visit Joey for the next week every couple of days, sometimes with Dave, sometimes without. We handed in a blanket that smelled of us and I often took him several times around the path to get him used to me. On the second visit I had him sitting and giving me paws! I videoed it and Dave was utterly amazed that I had managed to get him to respond so quickly! 

We went to collect him on a Wednesday and to say he was happy when we got home is an understatement! He explored a little then spent the night on the couch with me, so he wasn't on his own on the first night.

Having had Joey for near a month now, I have to say, it's made a massive difference to my mental health. I didn't believe that it would make a difference owning a pet, but it truly does! We have been taking Joey on regular walks, sometimes for hours and hours and are meeting fellow dog walkers around our area, I would say that I have been forced to go out to walk him, but I haven't at all! I've found myself wanting to go out just as much as him! I'm still wrapped up to the nines but I am enjoying the fresh air, exercise and interaction. I have been sleeping a little better (although I don't have high hopes for that lasting!) and my general mood has improved significantly. 

I will make a separate post telling you all about Joey, but I just wanted to let you know, pets are very therapeutic. If you were ever unsure about this before, here is the proof. 

For now, have a good evening everyone.

~ x ~ x ~ X ~ Susi ~ X ~ x ~ x