Fluffy Tails: Meet Maddie!

When I was trying to think of a name for the blog, I struggled for inspiration. I’m not a parent or creative type person – no-one is going to read a blog about my day job that’s for sure. Then I figured that even though I didn’t yet have the pets, naming it after them seemed a logical thing to do. They’ll probably feature quite heavily after all.

And now, finally, we have our longed-for Springer Spaniel pup, Maddie.

I grew up with a gorgeous female Springer Spaniel called Corrie. She was the absolute love of our family and a lot of my friends who didn’t have pets and especially not dogs. Yes she was as crazy as Springers are but the most wonderful family dog who loved children and other pets alike. She formed such a strong bond with our ginger cat Biscuit he used to try and suckle from her when he was a kitten.

All these years later I’m not at all ashamed to say I’m trying to recreate that animal idyll I had growing up and we’re now half way there – last Thursday OH and I travelled to Didcot to stay overnight so we could collect our very own Springer puppy on Friday morning.

The few days since have been a bit of a haze of craziness – adapting to new routines, clearing up dog poo, crying in despair in the middle of the second night of howling and overall very little sleep.

They’ve also brought the most overwhelming love out of both of us and yesterday as she suffered an upset tummy (no doubt through eating something in the garden she shouldn’t have) and wouldn’t even come to me for cuddles, I sobbed uncontrollably at the thought something was seriously wrong with her.

We laugh so much at her and her funny ways – she has an obsession with trying to steal clothes pegs when I’m hanging out the washing, she loves screwed up balls of newspaper and pretty things like clover, daisies and fuschia flowers.

We’re also astounded by how quickly she is developing – on Monday morning she couldn’t climb the steps to the garden, by Monday afternoon she was a total pro. She has been sleeping through the night since Sunday and no longer cries or howls after those first two nights. She loves problem solving and you can see her little mind hard at work, figuring out how to get what she wants. It’s no surprise Springers are used as narcotics and disposal dogs, they might be zany but they are so incredibly clever.

It’s safe to say my life will never be the same. I was already generally a sunny and happy person all day, every day. She has taken me to a whole other level of sheer, unadulterated, blissed out wonder. I am, without a doubt, in love.