Creature Comforts

Posted on 19 Apr 17:43
I am not a pet person. At least I wasn't until the tail end (geddit?!) of 2020, when this little charmer skipped into my life. 
Aside from a traumatic episode with a poorly puppy as a toddler, I had never had a pet. Family members had cats and dogs, and I would sneeze in their houses and politely pick the fur from my clothes, swearing under my breath that this was not something I wanted or needed in my life.
My wife, on the other hand, grew up with her family collie dog Lass, and with the collie dogs on her Grandad's farm. She wanted a dog. Our children wanted a dog, and this conversation was underway when the pandemic hit us all. My youngest daughter produced a 'pros and cons' list. The 'pros' were multitudinous and carefully crafted to trip my guilt. The 'cons' invoked my stubborn refusals to have anything to do with a dog. I was beat, and took it upon myself to find the dog that my family craved.

 

A dog that even I could love.  

Clementine will be three this summer, and that time that has passed in the blink of one of her long lashed, heavily kohled eyes. And in that time? I. Am. Smitten. Emotionally changed, enriched and endlessly rewarded by my relationship with this amazing, annoying, beautiful, stinky, delightful, disobedient, intelligent and stupid dog.

My Darling Clementine.
 
I am a man transformed. I am writing this on Tuesday lunchtime, shortly after being reduced to tears in the queue for the sandwich shop by the video of an assistance dog on Facebook. She's not at work with me today, she's research assistant for my wife. I do miss her when she isn't around*.

Now, I am the person who makes contact with approaching dogs before I say hello to their owners. My wife and I have earnest conversations about the training regime for Clementine that often take up more time than we spend discussing our children. She costs almost as much as they do - and is even more poorly disciplined. Now, I can (almost) understand why people keep cats (or vice versa, if we're honest).

I love my dog.  

On our Paper Tiger team, we have dog and cat owners, and cat and dog lovers. Making room for that love in our ranges was something we needed to do, and something I needed to do.
 
For the love of Clem.


* My wife. And Clem.