Laura has been enthusiastic about the Dog's Trust for a while now. They advertise on TV that they look after stray and ill-treated dogs that can't be re-homed and ask for sponsorship to help keep them. She has kept asking if she could be a sponsor.
I don't want another dog. I've been through the heartbreak of the final parting several times and I don't want to go through it again. There's also the fact that, no matter how much you love them, dogs take a lot of caring for and they tie you down; the number of times I've had to leave somewhere, early, because I had to get back for the dog.
So, last week Laura and her mum had a look at the Dog's Trust website. There were various pictures of dogs around the country and the site said you may visit your protegé so they had a look at what was on offer in Huyton, which isn't very far from here. They chose Amy, a 10 year old Border Collie, and decided to sponsor her. It's just £1.50 a week which won't go a very long way but will help.
Today all the "bumph" came in the post. There's a car sticker and a fridge magnet but, best of all, there's a laminated card with all Amy's details written on. It tells us that Amy can't live in an ordinary home as she doesn't like other dogs or cats and can be a bit "exciteable", in other words I think she's probably a bit snappy at times, but that she's friendly and likes going to the beach and playing with a ball. Laura can go and visit her whenever she likes but they say she won't be able to take her for a walk, due to her temperament; most likely to avoid small child being dragged along the ground, holding lead, while dog hares off after distant cat. It also describes Amy and says her distinguishing feature is her speckled legs.
The Direct Debit is all completed and, from next week, Laura's got her "own" dog. The Trust promise to send news of her, regularly, and let us know how she's doing. There's also the open invitation to visit the Kennel and see her in the flesh (or should that be in the fur?) and Laura's keen to go very soon, so we will. I think that's a reasonable compromise on having a resident canine.
I don't want another dog. I've been through the heartbreak of the final parting several times and I don't want to go through it again. There's also the fact that, no matter how much you love them, dogs take a lot of caring for and they tie you down; the number of times I've had to leave somewhere, early, because I had to get back for the dog.
So, last week Laura and her mum had a look at the Dog's Trust website. There were various pictures of dogs around the country and the site said you may visit your protegé so they had a look at what was on offer in Huyton, which isn't very far from here. They chose Amy, a 10 year old Border Collie, and decided to sponsor her. It's just £1.50 a week which won't go a very long way but will help.
Today all the "bumph" came in the post. There's a car sticker and a fridge magnet but, best of all, there's a laminated card with all Amy's details written on. It tells us that Amy can't live in an ordinary home as she doesn't like other dogs or cats and can be a bit "exciteable", in other words I think she's probably a bit snappy at times, but that she's friendly and likes going to the beach and playing with a ball. Laura can go and visit her whenever she likes but they say she won't be able to take her for a walk, due to her temperament; most likely to avoid small child being dragged along the ground, holding lead, while dog hares off after distant cat. It also describes Amy and says her distinguishing feature is her speckled legs.
The Direct Debit is all completed and, from next week, Laura's got her "own" dog. The Trust promise to send news of her, regularly, and let us know how she's doing. There's also the open invitation to visit the Kennel and see her in the flesh (or should that be in the fur?) and Laura's keen to go very soon, so we will. I think that's a reasonable compromise on having a resident canine.