“Happy accident” or “pleasant surprise”, the accident of finding good without looking …
This is Jessie – she is staying with us for five weeks while her mum is away.
Little did we know that ten years ago, when we were little pups leaving Wales to live in London – albeit four months apart, and then to eventually meet up again in London quite by accident – and be in each other’s lives.
You see, our mums who didn’t know of each other’s existence and lead very different lives met about four years ago. After the meeting, Mum ended up doing Jessie’s new house and a friendship grew from a client relationship. We would go and visit sometimes or we meet in the park for walkies while the hoomans had talkies! Talkies and more talkies. They talk a lot!
When Jessie’s mum, Sandra needed to go away, we were only too happy to have her share our home.
It hasn’t even been a week yet but we are now a pack.
We watch telly together – Mum’s place on the far left.
It took Jessie all of two days to feel comfortable …
Like this comfortable. LOL!
So Mum has now laid a blanket on the back of the sofa just for Jessie.
But when Mum’s at her desk, we sometimes share a bed too.
We would all be curled up on the sofa but if Mum went to the loo, we would all leap up from whatever dreams we were having to find Mum –
Jessie likes playing with squeaky toys and I don’t. So I am the grumpy old maid who would snatch the squeakies away from her.
“Aunty May! Darcy wouldn’t let me play with those toys,” she would tell tale on me.
“Darcy! Don’t be such a grump!” Mum would shout at me. Double standards, Mum?
One of the benefits of having Jessie stay is another bowl to lick clean.
Unlike us, Jessie eats like a lady. After I am done with mine, I would lick George’s bowl clean.
Now I add Jessie’s to my after dinner licks, but I have to wait …
While Mum safeguards Jessie’s meal.
Our bed is big enough for all of us. On the first night, she wondered where she should sleep.
Eventually, Jessie decided she will only sleep nudged up to Mum and she doesn’t move from her place all night. It’s ok, I like sleeping on the fur throw and she can have my place for now.
In the mornings I still go around to the other side and jump up for a cuddle. And that’s why Mum can’t get out of bed – me on her right, Jessie on her left and George on her pillow. Too blissful.
May’s comment: It was really serendipitous when I met Sandra, Jessie’s mum – about four years ago. She had just bought a house and came to look at one of the properties I had done up. I was there with Darcy, just to let her in. She had a look around and I liked what I had done when she asked if I could work with her. And then she met Darcy and said, “She looks like my dog.” And as they say, the rest is history.
In this case, it wasn’t the dog that brought us together but my interiors work but to imagine that ten years ago, both Sandra and I had our puppy experience – both puppies from the same breeder. As our friendship grew, the dogs have been very much a part of our lives – dog-sitting for each other as well as going for walkies. And we share April birthdays 9 days apart.
Sometimes things are just meant to be.
So once again, I won’t be getting a third dog because that way, there’s always room for our friends.
Darcy and Jessie are both Jandaz Cockapoos. And amazingly – Kingston and Sammy, who are our neighbours, coincidentally all came from Jandaz in Wales.
