This isn’t so much a part 2 as a PS.

In yesterday’s blog I gave Piggle a bad press. My intention wasn’t to have wanabee dog owners queuing up at puppy farms to get a brand new one. I may have, in the name of humour or impatience to finish the blog and eat breakfast, forgot to mention a few things about Puggle that is worth mentioning.

There is no doubt that Pigget bites out of fear. He is unusual in that (… actually he’s just unusual) he doesn’t allow the offer of a hand to sniff. He just goes into fight mode. That’s why pockets are a good idea for visiting strangers. There is no doubt that Pugget had a terrible time in his 4 or 5 years before we got him. He responded to the scraping of a plate because that was the only way he had been fed – scraps. He ate so quickly I thought he would choke. For months I would hold him and calm him as he eat. His claws were so long from never going for walks, the first time I took him on one he literally shat himself. He had stress alopecia. He hated old ladies with sticks (who doesn’t?). I’m sure it’s only a coincidence that his temporary foster home after Battersea had an old lady with a stick. He still flinches 5 years on if you do any kind of jerky hand movement (unless you’re a stranger then he thinks its fair game).

Taking on a rescue means you take on whatever demons their unknown past has given them and Piggy is seriously and pitifully haunted by his.

So why take on a fucked up psychotic rescue over a brand new shiny puppy? Because the rewards are priceless. He has never shown any aggression to the people he met the first day I took him home (except my mother aka old lady and stick): me; my children; my nieces and my sister. He knew he was safe with us from the second I engaged with him. Once he trusts you he does so utterly and completely and is the gentlest, most beautiful soul I have ever had the privilege to encounter. He is clever and intuitive. He is proud and handsome and trots along, in his little red ‘CAUTION’ vest on walks, like the Cock o’ the North (whatever that is!).

 Sure you get the rewards with any dog that loves you, but one that has placed their trust in you after everything they have encountered is a magical bond. It has extra sprinkles of smugness, knowing you made such a massive difference to one little life, and importantly, not fuelled the terrible puppy breeding madness of designer fashion item dogs. Puggy is a Boston Terrier/Chi cross and very desirable. He is also a small terrier with a big attitude. There’s a reason dog rescues are flooded with small dogs. They aren’t as pretty as they look. They are as much work as a big dog. You can’t leave them in your handbag when you get home. They would make such a mess of the lining. These designer dogs are a rebranding/marketing scam for dogs formally known as Mongrels! We should go back to calling them that and then there would be a lot less of them being bred, dumped and mistreated. For every reputable breeder there are hundreds of shitty low lives breeding dogs purely to make money. There are also plenty of equally shitty low lives prepared to pay cash to have a poorly bred and socialized dog to dump when they get bored or confront the reality of owning a poorly bred and antisocial dog.

Adopt don’t shop! Find a piglet of your own to cherish – Not for the feint hearted but it is worth it

Coming next … don’t get carried away with the whole adoption malarkey! One is ample!