Does everyone make a New Year’s Resolution? Or at least think about making one, even if they discard the idea for some reason? I certainly thought about about the usual promises I make for the purpose of self improvement. The main one is usually to do more exercise, because it makes me feel better physically and emotionally. I decide this at various points through the year, not just on the 1st of January, and I can usually stick to it for a few weeks for maybe months (as when I was preparing for my swim last year) but eventually I revert to my slothful ways.
This year has been a little different. There was no need for promises – thought, written, or spoken. My New Year’s Resolution is a Springer Spaniel.
He was bred as a gun-dog, but was too nervous and was pushed too hard. He then went to be trained as a sniffer dog, but he was too nervous for that job, so he has come to us to see how he likes being a pet. He lives in a kennel, stays in his run during the day while I’m at work, then has free-range of the garden and at least an hour and a half of walks while we’re home. There is no way to give in to idleness when you have a dog – whatever excuses I might make to wriggle out of my own exercise regime, there are no excuses for Super Spaniel.
He is settling in well but we have a lot to work on – he is perfect with other dogs, but anxious meeting new people (especially men) and not yet convinced about getting in the car. He is intelligent and obsessed with tennis balls. We’re having a lot of fun together!
Getting the garden ready for Super Spaniel took all our weekends in November and December. Trying to keep up with his insatiable appetite for exercise has taken most of our free time in January and February, but we are still making some progress with the renovation work. I may not have been writing here but I have been taking photos, and I am assembling them into a progress report.
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