Hundreds of abandoned and abused pups and dogs from all over the country, in desperate need of a “loving forever home” gazed beseechingly from my computer screen. Many of the dogs had paws as big as soup plates. But I needed a small dog which would fit into my very small flat.
When the Petbus pulled up in front of the Blenheim Railway Station the day after ANZAC Day, one cat, four finches and a dog disembarked. The dog - and her luggage - a gutted teddy bear, a similarly distressed dog mattress, a green plastic lunch-box of dog food and a red rubber bone - were thrust into my arms. The dog, a little ginger and white Jack Russell cross had travelled to Blenheim all the way from the Napier pound, via a rescue organisation called AdoptaDog.
In the days and weeks after my old Fox Terrier Pete died, I had to force myself to take the long walks I had enjoyed so much when he and I had walked in tandem. Everywhere I went there were people with dogs, jogging, throwing sticks, patting and petting like there was no tomorrow.
I felt the way I had as a teenager after breaking up with a boyfriend: everyone in the entire world was madly, head-over-heels in love while I was locked in lonely misery. I envied every person with a dog with the possible exception of the person walking a hairless, spotted dog which sprouted tufts of Dr Seuss hair fore and aft. I felt just as love-sick at home too. There was a dog-shaped gap in the world. Without a dog I felt some part of me had been amputated.
In the days and weeks after my old Fox Terrier Pete died, I had to force myself to take the long walks I had enjoyed so much when he and I had walked in tandem. Everywhere I went there were people with dogs, jogging, throwing sticks, patting and petting like there was no tomorrow.
I felt the way I had as a teenager after breaking up with a boyfriend: everyone in the entire world was madly, head-over-heels in love while I was locked in lonely misery. I envied every person with a dog with the possible exception of the person walking a hairless, spotted dog which sprouted tufts of Dr Seuss hair fore and aft. I felt just as love-sick at home too. There was a dog-shaped gap in the world. Without a dog I felt some part of me had been amputated.
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