Rachel Dove’s Beastie Besties

Please welcome HQ Digital author Rachel Dove and her beastie besties. Tissues at the ready, it’s another sad tale.

I have always had animals in one guise or another. When I was a little girl, I had a white rabbit called Mr Frisky. In my early teens, I had a mouse called Gizmo, who was the inspiration for my hobby – breeding mice! I had a heated shed in the garden and I would sell them to the pet shop, to find loving homes. I did this for years, and then decided to move on to cats and dogs.

When my husband and I first got together, I bought him a puppy for his birthday – a rescued 8 week old cross breed who we called Maxwell. He was the puppy from hell! Age and having his manhood removed calmed him down a lot, and he was my companion when I was on maternity leave, through raising my babies, working on my studies and marking from home. He would sit beside me whenever I wrote, his little black nose tucked up against my leg. He was my sounding board for plot holes, frustrated late night writing sessions, and he shared my blanket when I was tucked up under one reading a book.

Oh, will you look at that face!

We lost him this February after ten years to cancer, and we all felt his loss. I work from home full time, and being at home whilst the men in my life were at work and school, I felt lost. I have a cat called Tilly, also a rescue, but she didn’t fill the hole completely. And she does NOT share blankets.

My children were heartbroken, and my husband lost his dear friend. (Max adored his Dad, he always knew when he was coming home. I don’t know how, but when Max went to sit by the door, we knew that Pete was on his way.)

One day, my husband phoned me to say that he thought he was finally ready to get a dog, so off to Dogs Trust we went. None of the dogs were suitable; either too large, or not suitable for cats or children. Some had been abused so needed less chaotic noisy homes than ours, and that is what makes the Dogs Trust so amazing. They put the animals first, and make sure that they are a good fit.

One dog, a very hairy blonde one, was in an enclosure with no name or information, so I went to the desk to ask about him. That’s when we met Oliver, a 7 month old American Cocker Spaniel. He has the face of an old man, and the vitality of a young pup. We think he was a Christmas present. Their loss, our gain. He is adorable, and even high fives, I kid you not.