Life with Grace: Part 2
A Little Dog, A Lot of Drama
I don’t think either of us quite knew what we were letting ourselves in for when Grace came into our lives.
I wanted a dog. A little companion. Someone to share walks, adventures and everyday life with.
What I hadn’t planned on was becoming something of an amateur dog health researcher.
Before Grace was even two, she’d had four phantom pregnancies. Four! That’s quite a lot to deal with for one little sausage dog.
There was the decision to have her spayed, which unfortunately didn’t go ahead as planned. Then came a claw removal and, just when we thought we’d had enough excitement, she was bitten by a Labrador in the village.
She’s certainly had more than her fair share.
And I won’t pretend it hasn’t been overwhelming.
When you love an animal, every little thing becomes a worry. You question yourself, research everything, make appointments, listen to advice and try to work out what’s best for them.
Sometimes it’s exhausting.
You start off thinking you’ll be the one looking after your dog, but before long your life seems to revolve around them.
There have been moments when I’ve wondered whether we’re ever going to get an easy run at things.
It’s also made me realise how much responsibility comes with having a dog. They can’t tell you what’s wrong, so you become their voice, their advocate and occasionally their rather anxious personal assistant.
And yet, amongst all the worry, there’s Grace.
The little dog who loves her bed, has her own ideas about going outside and seems to have absolutely no understanding of the amount of paperwork, research and concern she has generated.
She’s had a few difficult chapters, but she’s still full of personality.
I wanted to give Grace a lovely life. I just hadn’t realised quite how much of mine would change along the way.
And that’s the thing about life with Grace.
It’s not always the lovely walks and cute photographs. Sometimes it’s complicated, sometimes it’s worrying, sometimes it’s downright exhausting.
But it’s our life, and this is our story.
To be continued…
Recent Comments