Doggy Tales

Anyone who knows me knows that I prefer cats over dogs. I feel as though they are beautiful creatures, despite the reputation and whilst you need to work for their affection, it is worth it.

Cats are adorable, cost less than a dog and can also manage their time more effectively. You do not need to walk a cat, although I have seen more than enough people try.

If I go through this life never having a cat then I will be sad. They are beautiful, elegant creatures and I truly hope to have one in my life and share my love of them with my future children.

My wife on the other hand is an avid dog fan, who is distracted by the mere whisper of the creature. Noises emerge from her that I can only hope to achieve, yet they are still not for me but with all relationships, there must be compromise or at least the shadow of compromise.

10 Days to Dog Sit

As I write this my wife and I have just finished ten days of dog-sitting in the West Country. Ten days of consistent dog walks, feeding and a few broken-up throwing sessions.

We had two dogs to contend with. Dog number one was a springer spaniel who had more energy than we will ever have or ever will have. Dog number two was a retired Labrador who was just over twelve years of age, grumpy, to the point of needing to write to Pets at Home.

The duo were interesting and I say that in an affectionate way. Whilst the first time in which I met the Spaniel was at Christmas, when he pooed in the bedroom that my wife and I were sleeping in and I stepped into his poo, this time and in Scotland, he seemed a lot more chilled. Relaxed to the point of being almost acceptable (for a cat lover).

Oftentimes he would put his little head on my knee and the part of my heart responsible for animals fluttered slightly. It said to me that this isn't so bad. It's a lot of hard work, yes, but this part isn't so bad and whilst I did feel like a proud parent at times, it was okay.

The older Labrador I had met before when we previously dog sat and so have a warm spot in my heart for her. Still not enough to buy one tomorrow but there was something comforting about seeing her again, especially when she would nuzzle my leg and look for attention.

All of these feelings were capped off by seeing how at home and peaceful my wife looked.

My Wife

If there is one consideration that this experience has taught me, then it is that my wife looks so much more at home in France and in the countryside and maybe I am being selfish in keeping her in the city.

Whilst she says she loves London, part of me wonders if she is just saying that in order to keep me happy (then again, when do wives ever consider that...isn't the saying, happy wife, happy life?).

It's almost difficult to describe as it's nothing obvious, like she doesn't change colour when placed in the countryside but I feel as though she enjoys having a purpose in the day. Whether that is through work or in this case having a dog and needing to look after that dog brings her so much more joy than I've ever seen in London, which is sad in a way.

I would love to say that we will get a dog and a cat in the next year but realistically, our lives don't provide for that scenario. We both live and work in London, which for my wife involves a 6:30 am to 6:30 pm days, most days. She commutes for two hours a day and therefore, owning a dog simply would not work. The onus would be on me.

Working From Home With a Dog

My work is predominantly geared around working from home. On average, I spend at least three days at home each and every week, which means that I would be the one responsible for taking it out for a poo at lunch/walking it in the mornings, as I would have the time.

My office is also dog friendly and therefore, I could hypothetically take our dog to work. It could work but then I would feel so anxious about being able to keep the dog's attention, to be able to stop it from taking a poo in the kitchen at work or bark whilst people were in a meeting and so I would be very hesitant.

I do love my wife and would love to be able to make it work but I'm not sure about it. It would be something that would take longer she expects, in terms of feeling comfortable enough to take our dog to the office.

Maybe I would surprise myself but even being able to work from home with the dog fills me with dread at this time, yet after these last two weeks I feel as though it's more acceptable, at least in my heart.

A Final Thought

Dogs will never be my first choice, yet my wife is and whilst a lot of the onus when having a dog would fall into me, the challenges and struggles seem sort of worth it now, when before they did not. I would not even entertain the idea a few years ago but now, I would say maybe.

It feels also like having a dog would prepare us for having children and I can see why people say, train your child like your dog. They both need structure and rules and are both incredibly tiring, yet when they are asleep and you can look back, you feel a sense of joy, which cannot be matched by anything else in this world.