Is your life missing something? (Ps. It's a dog.)

“Dogs are for people who have failed to find love among their own species.”

Well, that is undoubtedly true.

So bye bye self-respect, hello crazy-dog-mum-tendencies.

We finally have our little bundle of furry joy. And I could not love her more.

Say hello to Lola. She is a one-year-old Staffy cross something-or-other and she’s just the best ever.

Okay, so as I’m writing this I’ve actually had Lola for 6 weeks, but honestly, diddly-squat of the novelty has worn off. This post is for people who are thinking of getting a dog, but not sure whether they should take the leap.

I was humming and hawing about getting a pooch of my own, even though I’ve been dreaming of my own 4-legged-non-equine companion.

“Dogs are sooo tying.”

“Your house will smell.”

“You can’t go to the pub whenever you want.”

“You’ll never be able to go on holiday.”

Ahhh, the fear was real!

But after 6 weeks into my new role as canine servant, I am happy to report that:

Yes, dogs are tying but I have historically chosen worse creatures to be tied to.

My house doesn’t smell, yay! I still have old (100-year-old cottage old) carpets in the living room and kitchen, which has come in handy with the new pup. She’s not allowed in the West Wing, more commonly known as the hall and bedroom. Although she’s only had 1 accident in the house in the last 6 weeks – she didn’t want to go out because it was raining, naughty naughty! She has very little hair, doesn’t shed and is a total clean freak. In fact, she probably thinks I smell.

I can confirm that we have successfully been to the pub! Dog ownership and having a social life have turned out not to be mutually exclusive. Lola has loved coming to BBQs with us to be cooed over and the has happily gone for a snooze while we popped along to the local boozer for a cheeky G&T.

As for holidays, I am too poor to go on them. Problem solved!

But we are hoping to do some camper-vanning along the West Coast this summer and take Lola too. She’s already been out with the mountain bikes and is a regular wee track monkey.

I stuck to my non-negotiables and I’m so glad I did.

If you’re ready, go for it. This does not mean don’t think it through. This is directed at people that are 100% setup for their first dog. If you’ve got a couple more years of time to serve with your severely allergic parents, sorry, but it’s not your time.

But what’s been tricky, so far?

Surprise surprise, it’s not all plain sailing.

• It’s taken a bit to get her used to the horse. (First world problems, the struggle is real.) My dreams of picturesque summer evening spent marauding over the local countryside on my trusty steed with loyal hound in tow, well, these are a little further off than I thought. But she’s definitely come on leaps and bounds. My little horse is absolutely brilliant though, I put this largely down to nature but I think the fact that I’ve had him from the word go has helped him trust my judgement. He is very confident and tolerates Lola’s exuberance well. She can now be in the field with him off the lead without wanting to chase him, so this has come on leaps and bounds already.

• Lola has had some skin problems. Apparently, this is quite common with Staffies. I’ll probably post about this in more detail but at the moment she’s on cheap-chemist anti-histamines and a course of antibiotics from the vet – which seem to be helping. When she came into the pound as a pup, Lola and her little mate were nearly completely bald.

• The first night was a nightmare! Although the improvement was quick. Go and read my post about adopting from The Dog’s Trust for more about the settling in period.

I’m going to write more about my experience with the Staffordshire Bull Terrier breed in my upcoming posts. We all know they get a bad rap, but to be honest, I think most people are on the other side of the fence now, but this little dog continues to amaze me in ways I never expected.

Have you adopted a rescue dog? Or has your 4-legged compadre changed your life for the better? Comment below!

Disclaimer: It could also be a pony.