I’ve got dogs. Anyone who knows me or follows me on Twitter or Facebook will know this and probably think I am a daft, dog-crazy pet-parent. I am. I am all of those things and soooooo much more when it comes to these hounds. They are absolutely my world and I love them to my bones.
But they are so important for our well-being as a family.
Mr Dr Ross wasn’t too enthusiastic about getting hounds initially but after 8 years of begging and pleading, he relented (or I won!). Part of why he gave up in the end was to do with my mental health. I have wobbles; I have had anxiety since forever and sometimes have depression attached to it. I’ve been medicated and not variously- mostly not as I’m lucky that I don’t get too poorly. But having hounds improved my mental health immensely when I was writing up my PhD. It helped to relieve the loneliness and isolation that went with months of writing something that only I understood.
Fast forward a few years and the hounds are so much into both our lives that they are cuddling up to us when we need it, wagging at the Little Dude when he’s upset and stealing biscuits from our coffee table when they think we’re not looking. They are smiling at us when we’re Mr Dr Ross and I are trying to tag-team little dude, conference calls and working. They do idiot stuff when we need a giggle and are the little lights of our lives.
Her ladyship is symbiotic and my little double; a soul sister separated by species. His Lordship is a bubble of bounce first thing in the morning and he talks us through is plans for the day (very, very loudly when the Little Dude is still asleep). They are our little bubble of joy and we would be lost, and somewhat grumpier with each other, if we didn’t have them in our lives.
Thank God for the hounds- they rock!
