Dogs

My parents always owned a dog since before I was born so I never knew what it was like to grow up in a house without a dog until I went off to study at university at the age of 18. This probably accounts for the fact that I love dogs to this day. In fact one of the things I most like about living in Santiago is the stray dogs. Hardly a day goes by when I don't have some kind of interaction with our street-dwelling canine friends (almost always positive, I must add, although I did get attacked by two dogs last summer while riding my bike through the park, leading to the need for a course of rabies jabs!!)

My best dog-related memory would have to be the one I have of Toby, our golden retriever. My parents bought Toby when he was a two-week-old puppy, and I was a teenager of 16 or 17. Like all golden retrievers, Toby was incredibly affectionate and playful, but I only shared a house with Toby for a couple of years before going off to study in another city and then leaving England to live in Portugal and then Spain. What I remember though, is that whenever I went back to my parents house for holidays, one of the things I looked forward to most was the reception I got from Toby. My parents would always see me coming up the drive and let Toby and Jesse (a black labrador bitch) out to greet me. Toby would be so happy to see me that he would grab my hand or arm in his mouth and cry for about two or three minutes. I don't think I have ever felt so loved as in those moments. (Jesse, on the other hand wasn't that bothered to see me!) Sadly, Toby is no longer here, but I still have a lock of his hair in my wallet. (That's not a joke - I'll show it to you after the summer break.)

You may be thinking that my worst experience was getting bitten by two dogs, as I mentioned earlier, but it wasn't (there was hardly any blood and I forgave them a few minutes after the event!). It was when Jasper, the black labrador that I had grown up with had to be put down. He was the dog we'd had before we got Toby and Jesse. Anyway, Jasper got cancer towards the end of his life and when my parents decided to have him put down, they asked me to stay with him while the vet administered the lethal injection, as they were both too upset to do it (my dad actually left the house!!). So it was my task to calm him down as the vet injected him. I know it was the kindest thing under the circumstances, but for a time after that I felt that I had betrayed him. It was quite a harrowing experience for a sensitive soul like me, I can assure you.
Here are Toby and Jesse and a handsome young man!!












Task:

• Choose any animal(s) to write about (dogs and cats are probably the most common), explain how you feel about them and describe a good and bad/sad memory connected to these animals. If you have no personal memories, it could be something you have seen on tv or read about.
• Comment on my post, telling me what you think and commenting on any words or expressions you liked. (..and how handsome I used to be!)
• Comment on other people's posts.