My First Dog: Lady's Story
Meet my dog Lady
This is Lady. She was a Border collie cross, who passed away in August 2016. She looked very similar to a pedigree Border collie, but she was slightly taller and also slimmer than a pedigree. We believe she had some greyhound in her somewhere as she showed some of those breed's traits; couch potato - always looking for the softest seat in any room - and she went bonkers when she'd been for a proper swim. Lady was with me for just over eleven and a quarter years and she really landed on her paws when she and I met. She's been great for me too of course and she got a brother in the last couple of years before she had to leave us (but that's another tale). Can I tell you her story? |
Lady's story
In the first part of the noughties I downsized and moved to a small village in the wilds of North Yorkshire. I was starting to live my dream - a rural home, part-time work doing something I'd always wanted to and a simpler life. The only thing missing from the list now was a dog. We'd never really had dogs when I was a kid and over the last few years I'd become fascinated by them, the connection with them, their expressions and the companionship they offered. I really wanted to have a dog in my life and my friends and family knew this. I'd even got books on dog breeds and was starting to think a Labrador was for me.
I got a phone call at the end of March from a friend of mine in Lincolnshire. His mother lived in Scotland and he'd just been to visit her. One night while he was there he'd spotted a dog running around on the street where his mum lived, but didn't think too much of it, imagining it would find its own way back home. The next morning the dog was still around the house and, being a dog owner himself, he decided he needed to do something and try and help out. The dog was very scared and nervous, having spent the night outside, and with his own dog on hand he proceeded to coax the stray into the house. It took over six hours to get her to trust him enough to get her inside! That's how frightened she was.
Once she started to settle down a bit they looked for a collar, but there wasn't one. They gave her food and water, treated her kindly and because there was another dog about she began to feel more at home. During the remainder of his stay he reported the dog to the police and the local authorities and took her to the vet for a check-up and to see if she had been microchipped. No-one came forward and there was no chip, so when he was due to go home the extra dog came with him.
Throughout all this they decided they must call her something and without a name tag they had a go at guessing what she might be called. Working their way through the alphabet they called out as many obvious dog names as they could come up with to see if they got a reaction. They got as far as the letter L before there was any real recognition. 'Lady' seemed to have the greatest effect, but they worked through the rest of the letters before deciding that was the best fit and it suited her too.
I got a phone call at the end of March from a friend of mine in Lincolnshire. His mother lived in Scotland and he'd just been to visit her. One night while he was there he'd spotted a dog running around on the street where his mum lived, but didn't think too much of it, imagining it would find its own way back home. The next morning the dog was still around the house and, being a dog owner himself, he decided he needed to do something and try and help out. The dog was very scared and nervous, having spent the night outside, and with his own dog on hand he proceeded to coax the stray into the house. It took over six hours to get her to trust him enough to get her inside! That's how frightened she was.
Once she started to settle down a bit they looked for a collar, but there wasn't one. They gave her food and water, treated her kindly and because there was another dog about she began to feel more at home. During the remainder of his stay he reported the dog to the police and the local authorities and took her to the vet for a check-up and to see if she had been microchipped. No-one came forward and there was no chip, so when he was due to go home the extra dog came with him.
Throughout all this they decided they must call her something and without a name tag they had a go at guessing what she might be called. Working their way through the alphabet they called out as many obvious dog names as they could come up with to see if they got a reaction. They got as far as the letter L before there was any real recognition. 'Lady' seemed to have the greatest effect, but they worked through the rest of the letters before deciding that was the best fit and it suited her too.
Your turn...
So where next?
It was when my friend got home that I got the phone call.
'I've found you a dog!'
'What?!' I said.
I couldn't understand what he was going on about. That's when I got the whole story. He knew I was thinking about getting a dog and he thought this one might be perfect for me. As well as all the other reasons for owning a dog I wanted to go on country walks and Lady was going to need plenty of those. We agreed that he would hold on to her for a couple of weeks while he assessed her - he had much more dog experience than me - and it also gave the owner a chance to make contact with any of the authorities to claim her back. The police had said that my friend could keep her after a set number of days.
So I waited... I got regular reports on her progress and what she was like - she was house-trained, seemed to get on great with his dog, didn't like men in fluorescent jackets, not brilliant on a lead but making progress, loads of energy but still a bit timid etc. etc. etc.
I couldn't wait, but I was also really scared that someone would claim her back. Plus I'd never owned a dog before, what if I was rubbish at it? What if I couldn't cope? I was willing to give it a try and my friend was happy to keep her if I didn't manage. So after waiting the agreed length of time, we were all ready; I went to meet Lady.
I'd been advised by my friend to ignore her and let her come to me. When I arrived his own dog was pleased to see me as usual and I fussed her while ignoring Lady. Lady was very nervous about this new person in the house she'd got used to and she spent a lot of time circling the edges of the room. I continued to blank her out and chatted to my friend and paid attention to his dog. I'm not sure at what point it happened, but I was only there an hour and by the time I was due to leave I was nose-to-nose with Lady, a lovely, inquisitive, affectionate dog. We seemed absolutely fine. It was decided I should take her home and we drove off together, Lady in the back of my car looking a bit uncertain but also interested in the view out of the windows and another new adventure.
'I've found you a dog!'
'What?!' I said.
I couldn't understand what he was going on about. That's when I got the whole story. He knew I was thinking about getting a dog and he thought this one might be perfect for me. As well as all the other reasons for owning a dog I wanted to go on country walks and Lady was going to need plenty of those. We agreed that he would hold on to her for a couple of weeks while he assessed her - he had much more dog experience than me - and it also gave the owner a chance to make contact with any of the authorities to claim her back. The police had said that my friend could keep her after a set number of days.
So I waited... I got regular reports on her progress and what she was like - she was house-trained, seemed to get on great with his dog, didn't like men in fluorescent jackets, not brilliant on a lead but making progress, loads of energy but still a bit timid etc. etc. etc.
I couldn't wait, but I was also really scared that someone would claim her back. Plus I'd never owned a dog before, what if I was rubbish at it? What if I couldn't cope? I was willing to give it a try and my friend was happy to keep her if I didn't manage. So after waiting the agreed length of time, we were all ready; I went to meet Lady.
I'd been advised by my friend to ignore her and let her come to me. When I arrived his own dog was pleased to see me as usual and I fussed her while ignoring Lady. Lady was very nervous about this new person in the house she'd got used to and she spent a lot of time circling the edges of the room. I continued to blank her out and chatted to my friend and paid attention to his dog. I'm not sure at what point it happened, but I was only there an hour and by the time I was due to leave I was nose-to-nose with Lady, a lovely, inquisitive, affectionate dog. We seemed absolutely fine. It was decided I should take her home and we drove off together, Lady in the back of my car looking a bit uncertain but also interested in the view out of the windows and another new adventure.
And finally...?
I'd like to say that was it, and we all lived happily ever after, but that's not quite how it worked out. We got home OK, Lady had a good sniff around the house and we settled down together. The next day we went for a walk, or three, and she began to explore the areas around the house.
We had a bit of a trauma when my dad came to visit her for the first time. Me not knowing any different, Dad bent down to meet her and she went nuts! The old chestnut of, stick out your hand to let a dog sniff it and make sure you're at their level, definitely didn't work with this dog. She barked her head off and nearly went for his hand. I was distraught! How was I going to be able to keep her if she couldn't get on with my dad?
Thankfully my friend gave me some advice. Told us to meet again away from her territory and let her go to my dad of her own accord while he ignored her, and everything worked out OK. But that's still not the end of it.
About a week after Lady came home with me I got a phone call from my friend. The police had been in touch and the owners of the dog wanted to get her back! This meant that she had been missing for nearly four weeks without the owners having made contact with the authorities, but they were still just in time to have legal rights to claim her back. Disaster!
We had a bit of a trauma when my dad came to visit her for the first time. Me not knowing any different, Dad bent down to meet her and she went nuts! The old chestnut of, stick out your hand to let a dog sniff it and make sure you're at their level, definitely didn't work with this dog. She barked her head off and nearly went for his hand. I was distraught! How was I going to be able to keep her if she couldn't get on with my dad?
Thankfully my friend gave me some advice. Told us to meet again away from her territory and let her go to my dad of her own accord while he ignored her, and everything worked out OK. But that's still not the end of it.
About a week after Lady came home with me I got a phone call from my friend. The police had been in touch and the owners of the dog wanted to get her back! This meant that she had been missing for nearly four weeks without the owners having made contact with the authorities, but they were still just in time to have legal rights to claim her back. Disaster!
Now what?!
My friend said he would speak to them and make the arrangements. He was more sceptical about these people than even I was, but he spoke to them and made some plans. Lady was bought as a puppy for a family with children and had been much loved at the beginning, but it sounded like she wasn't getting the attention she deserved now. The lady from the household said the kids wanted her back though.
They'd been on holiday for two weeks and had left her with father-in-law. She'd escaped out of his back garden, but she often did this wherever she was and always came back. They thought she'd just turn up and only put the effort in to find her after they'd been back a while and she'd still not reappeared. I must admit, if this had happened to me I'd have spent every waking hour looking for my pet, so this story still didn't make us feel any better about things.
Anyway, my friend made the arrangements for them to come and get her. They agreed, as they were in Scotland and me in Yorkshire, that we'd meet halfway. They would have to hire a vehicle but they would see me at 1 p.m. that Saturday. I was so disappointed, but my friend just kept saying wait and see. I wasn't hopeful. So after two weeks with me, Lady and I were getting ready to go north and meet her family. With a heavy heart I went to bed on Friday night.
They'd been on holiday for two weeks and had left her with father-in-law. She'd escaped out of his back garden, but she often did this wherever she was and always came back. They thought she'd just turn up and only put the effort in to find her after they'd been back a while and she'd still not reappeared. I must admit, if this had happened to me I'd have spent every waking hour looking for my pet, so this story still didn't make us feel any better about things.
Anyway, my friend made the arrangements for them to come and get her. They agreed, as they were in Scotland and me in Yorkshire, that we'd meet halfway. They would have to hire a vehicle but they would see me at 1 p.m. that Saturday. I was so disappointed, but my friend just kept saying wait and see. I wasn't hopeful. So after two weeks with me, Lady and I were getting ready to go north and meet her family. With a heavy heart I went to bed on Friday night.
Happily ever after
At 4 a.m. Saturday morning I got another phone call. It was my friend, all excited and not making sense. Once I'd got him calmed down a bit I found out that he'd had a message left by the man from the family that basically said, 'We're not going to make it tomorrow, and if the dog's settled you keep her.'
'I knew it! I just knew it!' my friend kept exclaiming.
I couldn't take it all in. Did this mean Lady was going to stay with me after all? Really? I couldn't believe it, but I was so happy. I went back to bed overjoyed and with a tear in my eye, hugged Lady tightly.
And now I can say, we all lived happily ever after. We were together for over eleven years and I don't regret a thing, she had a wonderful time with us. She slowed down a little in her last few years, went a bit deaf and her joints got stiff but she was still such a clever and loving thing, sitting in our laps.
Remember she picked out the name Lady to respond to? Well it turns out she was actually called Willow. I tried it a few times, got a flicker of recognition, but in the end Lady stuck. What a clever girl, picking her own name...
'I knew it! I just knew it!' my friend kept exclaiming.
I couldn't take it all in. Did this mean Lady was going to stay with me after all? Really? I couldn't believe it, but I was so happy. I went back to bed overjoyed and with a tear in my eye, hugged Lady tightly.
And now I can say, we all lived happily ever after. We were together for over eleven years and I don't regret a thing, she had a wonderful time with us. She slowed down a little in her last few years, went a bit deaf and her joints got stiff but she was still such a clever and loving thing, sitting in our laps.
Remember she picked out the name Lady to respond to? Well it turns out she was actually called Willow. I tried it a few times, got a flicker of recognition, but in the end Lady stuck. What a clever girl, picking her own name...