Blue Cross blog

Rescue dog Bailey had a troubled past but he’s been given a second chance in life. This week he discusses the responsibility that comes with looking after a human…

Hi friends (two and four-legged varieties),

I really don’t know what’s going on at the moment but there have been so many loud noises and fizzing sounds here recently. It seems that as soon as it gets dark the bangs start.

I have to be honest with you, I am not that fond of these sudden noises but I think that Nice Lady is very scared.

How do I know? Well I am only guessing but when you know someone well you read the signs – for instance she has not gone out in the evenings recently, either with or without me and whenever she hears any unfamiliar sound she puts her hand on my back.

Now I’ve been fairly chilled out, only jumping up and barking a couple of times when Nice Lady hasn’t been near enough to touch me and, as I am sure you realise, I’ve only done that to reassure her that I have everything under control.

I run around the house barking and the noises go away – simple, works every time.

When Nice Lady is around she talks to me, even coming outside with me when I need to answer a call of nature. When the noises were very loud I crawled onto her lap and licked her hand.

I think that she found it a great comfort; she seemed very relaxed when I did that.

But, and this is the downside, she is on the go all the time; trying to keep by her side was quite an effort – she doesn’t stop!

Our usual routine is that after a walk, long enough to tire me out, I retire to one of my many beds around the house and sleep, ready for supper and some games during in the evening.

All of this is interspersed with the opportunity of having forty winks whenever I want and generally relaxing throughout the day.

But recently, no chance! As soon as Nice Lady got up I was there with her, sitting on her feet while she was working, climbing on her lap if she was on the phone and cuddling up as close as possible whenever she sat down.

I didn’t feel that I could really relax just in case there was another noise and she needed me to be there.

It’s quite a responsibility taking on an owner; to do it properly it’s a full time job. There are so many things that you have to think about:

Will they get regular exercise and training, not pulling behind on the lead or stopping to talk to every human we might meet? Nice Lady still needs to work on this one – I have to frequently remind her we are on a walk not a talk.

Will they be able to settle at night if you are not there to reassure them? Should you try and persuade them to share their meals so they don’t eat too much?

There are so many aspects to owning and caring for a human. I think that it is important to remember that even though they are sweet when they are little, being a responsible dog means that we must look after our owners even when they are old and not as sprightly as they once were.

It’s a job that shouldn’t be undertaken without due consideration. After all, an owner is for life and it’s the dog’s duty to make sure that it is the best life possible. I’m doing my best!

All for now …

Licks and wags,
Bailey