There is one down side to being away a lot. And that downside has four legs, a tail and more often than not an impossibly cute little face.
Oh my goodness I want a dog.
Want is too weak a word; I ache for a dog, I yearn for a dog, I spend far longer than I’d like to admit online searching for puppies and fantasising about one day collecting one and taking him home with me.
Growing up my parents always had a couple of them and as children my siblings and I were trained to treat them like full-blown members of the family. Actually scrap that, not the family, the Royal Family. House training for Gizmo, Bertie, Theo, and Teddy involved giving them a tour and then telling them to do as they please.
My mother, especially, was so very much in love with our canine housemates.
And as the book I’m reading at the moment shows my mother and I are not alone. It’s called Absolutely Barking and if you think you love your dogs a little too much you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Anyway, back to my problem. Lots of travel equals no dog.
But I think I’ve found a solution. Assuming I get through the vetting (no pun intended) process I will soon be a volunteer dog walker and fosterer.
Excited does not cover it. I’m staring at my phone, awaiting the all important call, far more intently than I ever did as a teenager waiting for a boy to ring.
Something tells me that someday one of these gorgeous rescue pups is going to end up as a permanent lodger.
So, just in case, I’ve started writing a list of every slh.com property that welcomes pets – you’d be surprised how many do: Stapleford Park in the UK, IDW Esperanza in Lithuania and Villa Le Maschere in Florence as well as Grotta Giusti Resort, Golf & Spa in Monsummano Terme . And I have the pet passport people on speed dial.
Oh, and mum, if you’re reading this be warned – you may have a furry grandchild to babysit in the not too distant future.
