All You Need Is Love…and a Dog!
You’ll have seen her big ginger face pop up on my Instagram feed many times.
The postman is her biggest fan and Archie calls her his ‘big sister’.
This blog post is all about Halle.
Our sweet, crazy Halle.
I’m compelled to write this after being asked on several occasions since the arrival of little Ollie “do you still have your dog?”.
Errr…of course I do!!
She might be fury, and licky and most definitely bonkers but she’s also pretty damn important in this house. We wouldn’t be without her!!
I was 22 when I met Halle.
In a past life you could say.
Fresh from Uni in Swansea, my ex partner and I had bought our first home. Nowhere near ready for Children but ready for it to be more than just the two of us, we decided to get a dog.
I think everyone expected me to get a tiny little Maltese, perhaps a Frenchy or a Labrador at a push. Certainly not a ‘tough’ or ‘status’ dog like a Bull Terrier.
I’ve always loved “Staffy’s”. Despite some terrible negative press. To me, they always look like they’re smiling. They’re big brown eyes are full of love and emotion and I personally, have never met one who doesn’t just adore their family, and people in general.
Of course there are bad dogs out there, like any breed, but I believe that has more to do with the owner than the dog.
So I remember, 8 years ago, we were so excited when we stumbled upon a lovely Cotswold family selling staffy puppies from two of their own dogs. After seeing pictures of these tiny squishy little bundles of cuteness online, we visited their home to meet them, and hopefully bring one home.
I completely melted when I saw the most gorgeous little mound of puppy fat that was Halle. Just 8weeks old, she trampled all over her sleeping brothers and sisters to ‘perform’ for us. They say dogs choose their owners, and there was no way she was letting us go home without her. It was love at first sight.
The breeder was such a lovely lady. As we left her beautiful home in Morton-in-Marsh, she said these words that have stayed with me throughout the years. She said “That’s it now, you chose each other and she’ll be your closest truest friend for the rest of her life”.
She was so right.
HALLE 8-10 WEEKS OLD
Eight years later, and Halle has never let me down. We’ve lived in 5 different houses, and travelled thousands of miles (because I can’t face leaving her in a kennel). When you’ve moved around a lot (like I have) and had some big life changes, it’s natural that some relationships come and go. Halle has stayed firmly by my side through everything. She’s welcomed Colin, Archie and now Ollie into our life with so much love and care. It warms my heart seeing her affectionately cuddle into Archie just like she does me. I know how much they love each other.
Lots of people had said things like “she won’t be your baby when Ollie arrives”. I worried that maybe they were right and it would be difficult to love her as much.
They were wrong. I think I might even love her more.
Of course, it’s not the same kind of love that I have for my son, but our bond is just as powerful as it’s always been, and seeing her with Ollie melts my heart. I’m so proud of her.
Having Halle around when I’ve been on maternity leave has been a blessing. She’s given us structure to our day, got us out of the house and into the fresh air (no matter what the weather). Most importantly though, on the toughest days where I’ve felt completely out of my depth, her big kind eyes and gentle affection have reminded me that ‘I’ve got this’!
We’ve always celebrated Halle’s birthday and Christmas. Maybe it’s silly, but I do think she understands it’s a special day and a reward for her too.
She loves tearing into presents that are given to her and carries any toys and bones neatly into her bed as though it’s her little space to store everything.
It amazes me that she never plays with or damages any of the boys toys, never chews on a cushion or a shoe, yet she somehow knows that when she’s given her own toys, she’s perfectly within her rights to DESTROY it! And that she most certainly does!
I know I’m not the only one who feels like this about their family dog. What an amazing gift it is to have that unconditional love in our lives.
So, of course, this Christmas will be no different to the others and we’re still going to make sure she knows it’s a special day too. I’ve listed below some of our favourite treats for Halle and included some great discount codes if you fancy spoiling your fury friend too.
If you haven’t already discovered this pet brand, you’re missing out. It’s absolute class. Fantastic quality, classic, country-chic clothing and accessories for your pooch.
We bought Halle the Herringbone Tweed Harness and Collar last year with the matching tan leather lead.
Halle is pretty strong so she needs the support of a harness, and this one is surprising really tough. Not only that, it looks so smart. It’s still in perfect condition after a year of wear, despite being rolled around in mud and going in the washing machine one hundred times.
We also have the gorgeous Balmoral Check wool blanket. This was a birthday gift this year and she absolutely loves it. It’s almost too good to use for the dog (would look fab draped over an arm chair) but it’s warm and cosy and she just loves curing up on it after a long walk in the cold. I figured she deserves it.
The Ylang Ylang and Peppermint Shampoo and Grooming Spay is sooooo nice and leaves her smelling totally fresh and shiny. She also seems to love the feel of it on her skin.
There’s so many wonderful things on their site. You need to check out their New Collection, with all the Christmas treats, dog tags and the ceramics collection. I kinda want it all!!
Mutts and Hounds will very kindly give you 10% off everything with code
HANDH10.
The code is only valid until midnight on 24th December 2015 though, so be quick!!
A lovely friend introduced me to this gorgeous new brand of pet accessories.
They have the sweetest collection of winter scarfs for dogs. All made to order and stamped with your pets name. I couldn’t resist the grey pompom for Halle. It’s so super soft and cosy. We get asked all the time where we got it when she wears it.
They also have lovely leads, collars and ID tags. Everything comes gorgeously wrapped in a brown paper bag and stamped with the brand logo. So Cute!!
Broughton and Co will give you a lovely 10% off everything on their website with code:
HUNTERSANDHEELS.
Just from the supermarket – Waitrose Pet
Of course there are also loads of nice things you can pick up from the supermarket too.
Waitrose do this line of pet toys from ‘Goodboy’. The colours are lovely and neutral (because that totally matters when they are lying about your living room) and they are all under £5!
I also like to get Halle some Christmas Treats that won’t upset her tummy. ‘The Innocent Hound dog’ do turkey sausages with cranberry. ‘Billy and Margot’ have popcorn for dogs…CUTE!! Then ‘Lilly’s Kitchen’ have loads of Christmassy Treats that she loves (and she’s fussy!). You can get all of those in Waitrose.
However you decide to spoil your little fury friend this Christmas, and all through the year, I guess the most important thing of all is to remember that all they really need is love.
Life goes by and things change, but I’ll never forget that Halle is a very precious part of our little family and we are so blessed to have her in our lives.
Gahhh!! It’s friday night and I think its time we all went out for a walk up the pub!
