Country Collar Club 31st January 2021
By Andrew, Country Collar Club owner, 31st January 2021
I stumbled across a quote that made me stop and really think about it’s meaning the other day. “A dog is only in part of your life, but for them, you are their whole life”. I had never really thought about it like that before. It’s so true, and if you have the honour of seeing a dog grow from the smallest pup in the world, through the growing pain years, all the way to the end, then that saying takes on an even deeper meaning. For our recently lost Holly, we only had the pleasure of being her Mummy and Daddy for a short space of time before she took the peaceful journey to rainbow bridge. When we now look back at just 9 months of memories with her, it’s difficult to know whether you should laugh or cry (we’ve been doing a lot of that in our house when remembering the old girl).
The end of a dog’s life is always on the horizon for all dog owners out there, like the most beautiful setting sun you see on a late Summer evening. As the time slowly ticks away, the anxiety of imagining your beloved pooch’s end becomes ever more focussed. It’s only natural. In a way this can be a positive, as it helps prioritise spending that extra quality time with them. These days don’t last forever so be sure to take advantage of every moment you have with your companion for life. If you know you have made their time the absolute best it could have been, then trust me – you shall take an enormous amount of solace in the efforts you made, when you bring out the memory box you will have after their time comes.
The most beautiful part of being your dog’s world is that apparently dogs don’t need that much from us, to give them the best life they could hope for. Shelter, food, water, playtime, exercise and the odd treat every now and again. Oh sorry. I completely forgot the Christmas presents, birthday presents, social engagements to the pub to meet up with their fellow furry friends to sink a couple of bowls, Valentine’s Day card from the local cassa-rover, a bed fit for a Cavalier King, duck feather pillows to help them sleep, blankets (electric in the winter), an ill-fitting Christmas pudding outfit for the family Christmas photo, raincoats, LED collars fit for a Boeing 747 coming into land, 5 star Amazon rated squeak toys, a cheeky glass of paw-secco at New Year and don’t forget exclusive rights to your sofa. Sometimes when I walk into our lounge, I find my 9 year old Labrador Rosie sprawled out covering every possible inch with a certain look that she gives me on her face. That look the maître d’ would give you if you just strolled into The Dorchester with a Primark bag in hand, donned in your favourite lockdown lounge wear getup…. Did you book Sir? Yes, that’s exactly the look I get from Rosie when attempting to find some space on the sofa. Don’t worry, I’ll turn around and just hover around in the kitchen until I hear her move.
For a lot of dog owners, I think wanting the absolute materialistic best for your dogs is ever more prevalent. Heck, if you’ve got the cash then why not. Go ahead and buy them that brand new neon orange £80 float coat for swimming in the local lake on a Sunday morning. It’s a completely overinflated price in my opinion. My question to you though, is this. Will the dog love you any more for it? Granted, if the dog can’t swim, they probably will be grateful. But seriously, will the new Michael Phelps of the canine world love you any more than the lonely man’s dog who only have each other for company during this pandemic? When your dog looks back at you over that rainbow bridge, will they be content knowing their own Instagram profile reached 2,000 follows? Or will they look over that bridge and remember the beautiful walks with their owners, where they ran through the meadows in the summer, heather in the Autumn and snow in the Winter? I’ll let you decide the answer to that question.
Must dash, apparently Rosie needs her glass topping up. Maître d’ signing out.
Until next week.
Andrew 🐾🐾
