Ding, dong – Belle

Upon entering MT 26 for the first time Belle sniffed out her territory and released her bowls in front of the red sofa. At least it was in the house and not in the car on the way home – as Bonnie did on her first trip home all those years ago.

Many have commented that getting a puppy is effectively akin to having a fifth child. Well, let me tell you I only wish that my newborn babies had been as easy as a puppy. The return visit from hospital with each of our new born babies was wrought with uncertainties, tiredness, stress and a plunge into the unknown.

For example:

With J: Am I breastfeeding properly? Why is he crying? G. you bathe him I’m too scared. Why won’t he wait at least three hours between feeds?
With K: How will J. like his new sister? How can I give him as much attention as I used to? Is he jealous? Why won’t she wait at least three hours between feeds?
With L: Is she growing as she should? Did I weigh her this morning? Is it alright to let J and K tug on her so hard? Why won’t she wait at least three hours between feeds?
With R: I wish L. wouldn’t pinch his ear while pretending to stroke him. Why do his pampers leak all the time? Oh no surely we don’t have to change his pj’s again – its 3.55 a.m. Why won’t he wait at least two hours between each feed.

So, bringing a pup home, well its like comparing a mole hill to Mount Kilimanjaro.

“Now, when you take her home tonight make sure she sleeps in your room. That way she will feel close to you and not abandoned. I’m sure taking your puppy home is like taking your children home for the first time,” the lady in the Kennel told us.

Well bollocks to that. Who are you kidding? This puppy is for fun and to be enjoyed. Not to be reared as a stake for humanitie's future. She is not one of my children and she will sleep downstairs where I can’t hear her yelping.

It is only recently, after nine and a half years of nocturnal interruptions that G. and I are actually getting a good night’s sleep. With R. finally sleeping through the night we are transformed, tolerant, really, really - no I mean really, nice people again. My patience with the children is a wonderful thing to behold. Now that I can sleep uninterrupted for at least six hours I am hardly going to allow this state of affairs to be interrupted by Belle.

Belle and I hadn’t been in the house ten minutes and I had just managed to clear away the first of many “eliminations” as the RSPCA so quaintly calls it when Rowena and Diana arrived to view our new purchase.

“Oh isn’t she gorgeous. Such a sweetie. Ahh look at her.” They crooned. Quite rightly she is a great looking dog. Half an hour later and the children crashed through the door from school.

“Where is she? Can I see her? I want to stroke her. No R. No R. not like that. L. you’re stroking her too hard.”

Belle was picked up, stroked, dragged around the floor, poked in the eye by R. pulled on her back legs by L., cuddled by K and brought into the garden by J. Not once did she growl, bark, snarl or snap. She just trembled and shat a lot. We had been warned that the stress of being taken away from her brothers and sisters and being introduced into a lively household would cause loose bowls.

Having just got R. potty trained, however, means that I am not too frazzled by it. Had I waited a year it may have been a different story. In any case yesterday, her second day here, and she has already marked out her territory in the garden and abandoned her preference for the patch in front of the red sofa. She is beginning to get used to the noise in the house when the children are around and beginning to run around with them in the garden. She even has the courage to eat her food with gusto and pleasure.

In the meantime she sits by my feet when I work on summaries. Its such a pleasure. Introducing the children to our family was overwhelming and wonderful, albeit tiring. Introducing Belle was easy, simple and a lot less complicated. And no she does not sleep in our room and I have only heard her yelp once in the night but happily turned around and gone back to sleep again.