Miffy, who is now 7, is quite a fussy little character, so it wasn't going to be easy introducing a new dog to her house! Having fallen in love with the bichon breed, we were looking to rescue/adopt another, possibly an older bichon looking for a safe, secure forever home.
Too many puppies are bred, given as gifts and subsequently abandoned once the novelty wears off or they dare to grow. A puppy is just like a new baby, he'll cry, need feeding, stay awake at unsociable hours and need a lot of love and patience. Adopting a 'grown up' dog comes with its problems too. They may not be house trained, picked up some bad habits, might find it harder to settle in, so choosing to rescue an abandoned dog is not without its consequences.
After searching far and wide, I fell in love with this beautiful boy called Bart. He had been born with his front legs fused together, kind of like a mermaid and having undergone surgery after being dumped, he still walked with a limp and looked a little disfigured (to some!) My heart melted and I knew I could provide him with the love and care he deserved, the only problem was that Bart was currently in foster care down South! Undeterred, I contacted the foster carer and explained I had a quiet older bichon who he could settle down with by the fire and grow old with. My family and I were prepared to drive down and collect him, but sadly the foster carer didn't want Bart to travel so far.
Although I was sad, I kept in touch, determined to find out if this young man found a home, after three weeks I'm thrilled to say he was adopted by a kind-hearted older couple who promised to take care of him. That still left us with a problem, all we seemed to find was pure bred puppies or bichons for stud. We had contacted a couple of people but seemed to get messed around, they were never home when we went to visit the dog or never organised a date, so I can only hope those little babies found a lovely home!
Still desperately mourning Ollie we decided to make the most of our gorgeous girl we were still lucky to have and see if fate intervened. I don't know if I ever told you the story of how we met Miffy, but it gives me goosebumps everytime!
About a year or so after our long standing family pet Musky passed away, we decided we'd like to get another dog. My auntie and uncle had recently bought a beautiful bichon frise puppy called Bailey from a litter that had been advertised in the paper. Bailey was exquisite. His tiny button nose, soft white curls and pink little paws melted our hearts. So after a visit to the shelter, and me wanting every dog there, my mam decided she only wanted a dog like Bailey. As we got in the car to go home (and me in a huff because I felt sad we hadn't rescued a dog), my auntie rang us. Completely out of the blue, six months down the line, the lady who sold Bailey had suddenly decided to sell the last puppy from the litter she had kept for herself, and did my auntie want to buy her? No, but she did know someone who might! We rushed to her house later that week and fell instantly in love with this tiny bedraggled mess called Coco Chanel...... Sadly Miffy hadn't had the same start in life as her brother, she wasn't house trained, had never been groomed, smelt dreadful and had spent much of her short life locked behind a baby gate in the kitchen while her doggy mother sat in the living room. With no papers and a hefty £550 price tag we couldn't help but take poor Miffy home and none of us have ever regretted our decision. Yes Miffy is still not properly housetrained and timid, but she has landed with the most patient, caring family, nobody could ever love her more!
So that brings me to our latest bundle of joy, Daisy Doll. Picking me up from work about two months after we lost Ollie, my mam announced her friend had 3 bichon pups for sale. Never planning on adopting a puppy, we went and had a look. There in a bundle of fluff was three tiny white puppies. Chirping, squeaking and running around excitedly, we opted for the last remaining girl. The boys were just as gorgeous, but we felt after losing Ollie, a girl would be a fresh start. I wanted to call her Minnie, but my mam liked the name Daisy. Unbeknown to my brother and sister, we came home with a tiny baby wrapped in a blanket and the house felt alive again!
Look out for how we got on... I thought i'd share a few baby photos with you all!
#proudmama
