A Life Changing Decision – my Faithful Companion

I rarely make decisions that my wife objects to. There are very good reasons for adopting this strategy. I remember the time, I remember the context, and I remember the process. It was a life changing decision for me, I had reached a tipping point and something had to change.

I was in survival mode. Treading water and just about keeping my head above water. Work was brutal and taking over my life. I had frequent changes of line manager and CEO, in a business that had failed to adapt to changing external conditions and was gradually going under. After many happy years, I had reached a point of gradual, but relentless despair.

I’d been talking about getting a dog. The kids were very enthusiastic about it, but my wife was dead against it. I understood this as she has previously taken on all the work associated with guinea pigs (that the kids wanted) and didn’t want to look after a demanding dog on her own. As a child, she had never had a dog so didn’t have the experience of the benefits.

Whilst on holiday, camping somewhere, I popped into a pet shop and bought a dog lead and some dog toys – just to test the water, and gauge the reaction. “If you are getting a dog, you will have to walk it and look after it, I’m having nothing to do with it!” I took that as a yes, it was OK and started looking.

I found a chocolate Labrador. Less than a year old, but no longer a puppy. It’s owners had lots of toddlers and could not cope with an energetic, demanding dog, so she had been shut in a bare room for most of the time. A bit of a rescue, but I was definitely up for the challenge.

It was a massive challenge, and she got overexcited after being neglected – craving attention. She was destructive and a bit nippy from time to time. I was distraught at the thought of having to rehome her, but the behaviour was too much for the family. What if my wife was right, and we shouldn’t have got a dog. What a mess I’d got myself into.

I found a dog behaviourist who visited and helped me. We took her to dog training classes with the behaviourist.

I became more reluctant to travel away from home as much and spent more time with the dog and my family and became less focussed on work. My life became a bit more balanced. I always thought the dog would be an emotional ground plane for myself and the kids. My wife really loves Lilly as well.

My daughter is working part time at our local kennels, whilst she is studying. I’m not sure if she has earned quite as much as I have paid in kennel fees over the years, but it must be getting close now!

Lillie, follows me around the house like a big puppy. She is in the office with me right now! So Lillie was the life changing decision that restored harmony to our family. She needed us as much as we needed her – my faithful companion.