Happy Birthday Alfie!

This was Alfie this morning; he is three years old today. He is affectionate, intelligent, bouncy and has a real sense of humour. He’s always happy, first thing in the morning, delighted that someone has come downstairs to let him out and feed him, but greeting us enthusiastically first; every time we come home, sticking his nose out through the catflap as far as he can and wagging happily at the other end. If you are sad there is always a wet nose to console you and if you need a break there’s a perfect excuse to take a brisk, happy walk through the fields and marshes.

The first time we saw Alfie he was three weeks old and looked like this. There were several more visits to see the litter before we could take him home, and when we did he vomited six times in the back of the car, with the Teenager, then 13, coping valiantly.

So then we had our very own Andrex puppy who took over our lives completely. In the last three years we have had a couple of health scares with him. The first was a severe tummy episode which necessitated a big operation and caused lots of worry. The second was an anaphylactic reaction to his booster jab, very frightening and stressful. We now seem to have found a booster that he isn’t allergic to, and combine that with antihistamine beforehand as a precaution. All of this has just made him seem more precious and valuable.

He doesn’t chew things any more, and is very self contained to the extent that he wouldn’t take food even if we left it on the floor, as long as we are in the room, but if we leave then he might “borrow” it. He’d feel guilty though! What he can’t help is the enormous amount of golden hair which falls throughout the house, even in rooms he never enters! It’s a good thing I’m not house-proud, but, even if I was, the sacrifice would be worth it.

This is the other major threat to domestic sparkliness which Alfie regularly brings home. He can’t resist plunging into the dyke next to the marshes or the marshes themselves. Not only does this turn his legs black, but the smell is unlike anything else and pervades the whole house, even though he is banished to the kitchen until it all dries and falls off – yes, he actually is a self-cleaning dog and only needs washing if he rolls in something truly disgusting!

These are the usual benefits and experiences of owning a dog. I would also say that it is a spiritual experience. There is an understanding beyond language or intellect that you share with your dog when you look into each other’s eyes. We often tend to think of animals as “lower” than us, but I really do think that this sort of communication, not the giving of commands and the animal responding but something beyond that, however important it is, must be something on a higher plane than our usual chatter. It’s the sense of shared being, even though we are different species, and a kind of unconditional love and commitment that really is pure and eternal. Animals can also be incredibly healing, and Alfie has done his fair share of that already in his young life.

So today, on the birthday that he has no idea he is celebrating, I want to thank Alfie for making me a better, kinder and more spiritual person, and for bringing heaps of bouncy, happy, excited love into our home. Happy Birthday Alfiedog! xxx