Lately, I’ve been dog-broody.
Our little dog, Jack – some sort of terrier cross; we never knew his breed for certain – died last October, aged at least 16 years. Again, we never knew his age for certain; we found him, one day in 2000, a week before we moved up to North Wales. He was trotting, knackered, along the railway line that ran next to our flat, so we went down and saved him. The police had no record of a missing dog fitting his description, and neither did the RSPCA. Posters on trees and at the local pet shop yielded no enquiries, so we decided to keep him. Jack and the Doo family – we were destined for each other, a match made in heaven.
Jack was a fabulous little dog, with heaps of character. He couldn’t be allowed anywhere near other dogs – he had a real other-dog-aggression problem – but he was fantastic with people, children and cats. In fact, when Mr Doo used to take him for his late night walk, they would invariably be followed by one of the local cats, who were all drawn to Jack like a magnet. Our own cats adored Jack, and would snuggle up in bed with him – whether he liked it or not.
So it’s been almost a year now, and more than ever I’m feeling Jack’s loss. The house just doesn’t feel right without him. Without a dog.
So we’re thinking of getting a puppy, one that we can train to be well-socialised with other dogs, and with cats, and with kids (even though we don’t have any small children ourselves, both our sisters do, so it’s important that we have a child-friendly dog, when we eventually get one).
But what breed do we go for? There are a few under discussion.
First up, a beagle. They’re wonderful dogs – very trusting, very friendly (which is probably why they’re the breed most likely to be used in vivisection – they’ll literally put up with anything, poor little blighters). If we do get a beagle, I’d love to call it Jeremy. As in, Jeremy Beagle. Ha!
We’ve also thought about standard Yorkshire terriers. Not the miniature, fit-in-your-pocket type – I love them, but Mr Doo would look ridiculous walking one – but the large-Westie-sized ones. However, standard Yorkies are not dogs you see often, because everyone wants the teeny-tiny ones these days.
We don’t really fancy a Jack Russell – at least, not the short haired variety – because, well, we’re just not convinced they’ll be good around the cats, and they do have a reputation for being a bit yappy and snappy.
I’d really love a border terrier, myself; I love how scruffy they look, and they’re sooo cute. Perfect size, perfect temperament, probably good with cats – though I’ve not checked this.
But ultimately, I think we’ll be happy if we can find a smallish terrier cross of some sort, with a cute face, a nose you can’t help parping like a bicycle horn, a massive personality and a whole heap of love to share.
A dog like Jack.
