Tues 8th Nov: Choosing that special one

Baby Oliver 

 So many of you will have experienced the loss of a wonderful friend, companion and unconditionally loyal devotee.  I'm talking of course about a dog, maybe the only animal who can give so much love without question, and really ask for so little in return.  Maybe a tummy scratch or a pat on the head, a tasty treat and a comfortable bed (preferably yours).   

I've been lucky in finding such gems amongst the many dogs that have ended up living with me, and one of those was Oliver.  His sudden illness (renal failure and pancreatitis) came as a total shock to me, as up to the point when he suddenly lost his appetite he'd been by my side wherever I went, insisting on following me everywhere, even seeing me off on the sampan on the days that I left the island.  His diagnosis came just over two months ago, and since then both he and I have been fighting to keep him alive.  He rallied at one point, so much so that I hoped he could keep going for a lot longer than he did, but today his strength finally ran out. The photo I'm using shows him as a puppy at Whiskers N Paws, and while he was almost adopted at one point that didn't happen, and the rest is history.

There are so many other amazing puppies who are passed by for no reason at all than bad luck or timing, the ones that now end up moving to our Tai Po Homing Centre while they wait to be chosen.  My only regret with Oliver, and those other puppies who stayed forever, is that I didn't know when they were babies that they'd always be with me.  I didn't allow myself to love them too much at the age when I assumed they'd be leaving, so I missed the enjoyment of those early puppy months.  Still, somehow those special ones worked their way into my life, making themselves stand out from the others and claiming a place at my side and in my heart.

I was so lucky to have ended up keeping Griffin

I don't know if you can immediately tell when you meet a dog or puppy that this is "The One".  I've never been in the situation of having to choose, and I think it must be hard to have to pick one out of many.  Maybe you can share your experiences of how you made that difficult decision, or was it easy?

Remember, we have so many puppies just waiting for their chance to shine, and just like all of the brilliant and amazing dogs that I've had the honour to call mine, they're mixed breed, the best breed of all.