Bo

I guess it's good for the public to think about the benefits of having a dog, and President Obama's little pooch is pretty cute, but nonetheless, I was disappointed that they didn't get a shelter dog.

When a pure-bred dog, especially an unusual breed, appears in the public eye through a film or through a celebrity owning one, the popularity of that breed tends to go up. The knock on effect of this is another story, but think what a positive step it would be rescue mutts suddenly became a must-have pet. Shelters would see lots of lovely, deserving animals go to good homes, and unscrupulous breeders would lose out.

The story goes that one of the Obama kids has an allergy to dog hair. Portuguese water dogs are, then, a good compromise and I don't suppose there are many Portuguese water dogs sitting in shelters....yet.

Fluffball

I'm away for a couple of days, so here's a photo of a fluffy little puppy my boyfriend and I spotted in Tokyo last year.

Oldies

I didn't mention in my previous post that the dog I adopted from the dog home was 10 years old. My second dog was 12 when I adopted him.

Many people want a puppy or young dog, but old dogs offer so many advantages. Puppies demand a lot from their owners. They need to be trained, walked, played with and generally socialized. Great if you don't work or if you have kids.

But the reality is that a lot of people don't have the time, energy or know-how to train a young dog. Not everyone lives near a park where an energetic young dog can run around. This is where old dogs are so great. They generally need less exercise - they're often happy with regular short walks. They don't need constant stimulation. They're often happy to left at home snoozing for a few hours and they won't pee the floor or chew the furniture. Most old dogs have already learned their manners, and they're happy to curl up near you if you're at home or trot gently along beside you on walks.

If you want the company of a furry body, but don't have the time for long hikes and training sessions, consider rescuing an older dog. They are often overlooked in dog homes and it's a great shame, because they usually make wonderful companions. They're no bother at all and they will live in gratitude to you for turning their lives around. No dog deserves to be in a dog home when they're old.

Do an oldie a favour and take one home. Click on the link to Oldies Club on the right for a list of lovely older canines. You can even foster one if you don't want to commit to full ownership. 

Life with a dog

Our family had pets when I was growing up, but I didn't get my own dog until I was 30. Throughout my twenties, I'd been pretty happy, but when I was about 27, things changed. I became stressed and unhappy, was drowning myself in work, suffering from insomnia and drinking too much.

One hot summer afternoon, I set off for the dog pound with the aim of getting a small, female dog. I came home that day with a big, black hairy male dog, beside whom the furniture shrank to doll's house proportions.

Within a week he'd shat in seven different places on the carpet, knocked over drinks, vomited lavishly on the bed, tried to bite the vet, and snarled at every dog we passed in the park. His tail was full of burrs and twigs, but he wouldn't let me brush it. I wondered how I would deal with the shame of returning him to the dog home.

Within a few weeks, however, he began to settle down. He'd greet me happily when I came home, and would walk calmly beside me. Gradually, he grew to trust me enough to let me brush his tail, and eventually was allowed off the lead in the park.

At first, he'd stay so close behind me that his cold nose would bump again my calves. He'd wait outside shops, staring fixedly at the door till I returned. At home he'd follow me to the toilet, pushing his head against my knees so I could rub his ears while I peed. If I shut the door on him, I'd hear his wet nose snuffling along the floor under the gap.

The routine of walking him in the middle of the day made me get work and it's place in my life back into perspective, the fresh air made me less pasty, and I met people in the park who gradually became fixtures in my life, making me feel part of a community of dog lovers.

Before long, I was cured of my ills and completely content.