I'm starting to feel like a proper dog owner now, whatever that means.
At first I felt like a fraud, who was holding a friend's dog-lead temporarily with them due to return any minute. Now that Elwood's been with us for over a month and I've taken him out every day there's more of a sense that he's mine; I've got to know how he's likely to act to the world around him and got used to reading his body language; I've also learnt his flagrant disdain for squirrels.
He's even made his own friends, both dog-based and human: we regularly bump into a contingent of people who live on the same estate as us and all have dogs they walk together; they all give Elwood a fuss. and one of the dogs - a very silly, scruffy boy called Sid - lights up when he sees him and gives him a sniff with his tail wagging madly.
It's lovely that having a pet in common brings people together and makes them talk; I've spoken to so many dog-owners over the past few weeks while Elwood quietly regards their faithful friend. He's fast becoming a bit of a local celebrity; all in all, he's settled in excellently (which, if you could see the legs akimbo position he's currently asleep in on the sofa, would only serve to vouch for this).
At first I felt like a fraud, who was holding a friend's dog-lead temporarily with them due to return any minute. Now that Elwood's been with us for over a month and I've taken him out every day there's more of a sense that he's mine; I've got to know how he's likely to act to the world around him and got used to reading his body language; I've also learnt his flagrant disdain for squirrels.
He's even made his own friends, both dog-based and human: we regularly bump into a contingent of people who live on the same estate as us and all have dogs they walk together; they all give Elwood a fuss. and one of the dogs - a very silly, scruffy boy called Sid - lights up when he sees him and gives him a sniff with his tail wagging madly.
It's lovely that having a pet in common brings people together and makes them talk; I've spoken to so many dog-owners over the past few weeks while Elwood quietly regards their faithful friend. He's fast becoming a bit of a local celebrity; all in all, he's settled in excellently (which, if you could see the legs akimbo position he's currently asleep in on the sofa, would only serve to vouch for this).
