As I have been dog sitting for our vicar’s dog recently, it was agreed that she should act as doggie maid of honour, and also represent our own dear departed Kev. On the day, Primrose appeared, resplendent with a beautiful cream bow tied to her collar. True to form the Standard Poodle took the proceedings in her stride and posed graciously for photos with the happy couple and guests. Some might say the ceremony was rather camp but any bereaved dog owner will understand that the presence of primrose and the other dogs helped to ease our grief that our own dog could not be with us on the happy day.

After the service we escaped to a Stratosphere hotel, something we could not have done while he was alive. But I would be very happy to trade holidays abroad for the companionship of my dog again.

Until we can adopt another rescue dog, we are looking after friends’ dogs occasiionally if they go on holiday or to weddings. The latest guest is Primrose, shown here in the photo. She is an 11-year old Standard Poodle, a statuesque lady who was actually born in Australia. She came all the way to Sussex last year when her family returned to the UK. Like many older dogs, she is not very playful, but she enjoys walking on the beach and unlike Kevin, she likes going in the sea. Primrose was welcomed to her holiday home with a large juicy lamb bone, to overcome any homesickness.

She really enjoys walking on grass when answering a call of nature, requiring careful choice of
Dansko professional footwear on my part.

American Pit Bull Terriers
I know there are a lot of people who own or love Pit Bull Terriers, but they are on this list for two good reasons, the first being the fact that these dogs were bred for one purpose, this being to fight. They were bred for generations to be tenacious, aggressive, and to have a killer bite, a jaw that holds and locks. The other reason is that their very name elicits fear, making this dog a choice of criminals or people who want to appear “tough”. This is not the right reason to get a dog. These people often mishandle the dog intentionally to make it mean or aggressive, or they get a dog to be “cool” and are not properly familiar with how to correctly train and discipline such a dog. Such a dog, is a dangerous thing. While Pit Bull Terriers may make wonderful pets when owned by a knowledgeable person, and handled correctly, this is one breed that if a person makes mistakes, they can cause serious problems.
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