#FlashFiveFriday – Dog

Dave

I come from a family of dog lovers. Growing up there was my mother’s dog, Suzy, and my grandmother also had a dog, Tina, who had followed my mum home one day and they took her in. Tina lived to the grand age of 17, while Suzy was 12 when she had to be put down.

I’ve never owned a dog myself. It took my mum years to get over Suzy and she eventually took in a new dog – Shelley – who is still with her today. When I was at university my brother and his then fiancé took in a Jack Russell named Miles. They had him from a puppy and he is still going strong today though has a new home now!

When my brother and his girlfriend split up, he moved back to live with my mum and brought Miles with him. Eventually my brother found his own place but by then Miles had settled well in a new home, got on really well with Shelley and ended up staying there.

Prior to owning Shelley and Miles my mother had become very house proud. Visiting her was like going to a museum, while holding a steaming cup of tea was akin to walking a tightrope. Two dogs later and the house is still pristine but a spill here, a torn piece of carpet there, don’t matter so much. We make great exceptions when it comes to dogs it seems.

As for me, I swapped dogs for six cats, but that’s another story.

Donna

I know there’s a belief that you’re either a dog person or a cat person but I believe you can be both. I love cats but I’m very smitten with dogs too. But I do believe they are very different types of creatures with very different temperaments, not to mention needs, body language, ways of communicating.

We’re a cat heavy household now. I’ve been accused of being obsessed with cats and whilst it’s true I do love them, I’m definitely not obsessed. I just saw creatures in need and wanted to help as many as we could. We pushed our helping boundaries to the absolute limit and now I have to accept that – until we win the lottery at least – there are no more.

Would I like a dog to add to this merry menagerie? Part of me recalls our friend’s beautiful Dachshund. He copes perfectly well amidst Rottweilers and Afghans – surely he’d cope amidst cats? But then I remember that what cats lack in brawn they make up for in cunning. I suspect little George is a little too sweet for our madcap moggies!

No dog for us – but cats enough!