I walked into the kitchen following a 20-minute jog around my local park and knew immediately that something was wrong. The room was humming with electricity. Thinking quickly, I remembered that I had put on both the washing machine and dishwasher before I went out. But what was the burning smell?
Then I saw it. The microwave was on full power with nothing inside, inexplicably counting down from 72 minutes with a stack of cookbooks on top of it growing increasingly hot.
A dog in My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue.
Racing over, I unplugged it and then looked around to see an angelic face staring up at me.
Otis, our six-month-old Labrador puppy, whom we had adopted two weeks previously, was shifting uncomfortably on his hind legs, perhaps sensing the stress emanating from his new owner. It seemed that by jumping up to put his paws on the counter, he had somehow banged off the round timer knob on the microwave, setting it to 95 minutes. Immediately catastrophising about what could have happened, I sat on the floor and thought tearfully, “I don’t think I can do this.”
A dog in My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue.
Since coming to live with us, Otis had upended our kitchen bins if left alone for longer than 30 minutes, eaten anything he could reach on the table or counter and had greeted us with what can only be described as puddles of faeces first thing in the morning on several pungent occasions (we weren’t aware of his sensitive stomach yet).
And that’s getting away lightly. Lots of people experienced far more extreme examples of behaviour from new or rescued dogs - like chewing furniture or skirting boards, excessive barking, aggression towards strangers or anti-social behaviour on walks.
A dog in My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue.
So, it begs the question: why on earth would anyone introduce a dog into the mix at Christmas when chaos is often already at an all-time high? And yet, so many of us do.
Adopting or rescuing a dog
My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue is an animal welfare organisation that rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes neglected and abused animals with the aim of giving them a better life. When I spoke to them, they said that there can be a lot of confusion over what’s involved in rescuing an animal.
“A lot of people panic over home checks,” explains Orla Donohoe, who works for the organisation. “This is not about what your house is like - it’s to make sure the garden and side exits are secure and that the dog will be sleeping inside.”
Murt, greyhound - available for adoption.
When it comes to visiting the rescue, Orla noted that a lot of people want a dog now, but she strongly encourages waiting until the right dog comes in that will best suit your lifestyle.
Martina Kenny, co-founder of My Lovely Horse Rescue, agrees.
“A dog should not be a Christmas present or a thing for under the tree,” she exclaims. “The average lifespan of a dog is 13 to 15 years – that means loving your pet after the puppy stage, into their naughty, energetic teens and golden years.”
Otis' puppy dog eyes work every time.
When I ask what someone should do if a family did get a dog for Christmas and things aren’t working out as they had hoped, she said that they should consult animal experts, dog behaviourists or friends that have gone through something similar.
“Put time and energy into your dog,” she stated simply. “You are the person that dog now depends on, [you’re] its lifeline.”
When all else fails
If your efforts are in vain and you still want to rehome your dog, Martina’s advice is to get it neutered because if it falls into the wrong hands, it could be used for breeding.
“Don’t just put an ad up saying ‘Dog for rehoming, only good homes may apply’. Humans lie,” she warns.
Make sure your dog is given to good people, who will put time and energy into giving them the best possible forever home.
Finding your perfect pet
My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue always tries to match a specific dog with a family or person. They also suggest fostering the dog for two or three weeks before making a final decision.
Henry, bulldog - available for adoption.
“This helps people relax and take the time to get to know the dog,” says Martina. “After all, you will now be sharing your home with them for the next 10 plus years.”
She is keen to encourage people to adopt rather than buy because in her words: “'Rescue’ does not mean ‘damaged’. It means they have been let down by humans."
Read more
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I walked into the kitchen following a 20-minute jog around my local park and knew immediately that something was wrong. The room was humming with electricity. Thinking quickly, I remembered that I had put on both the washing machine and dishwasher before I went out. But what was the burning smell?
Then I saw it. The microwave was on full power with nothing inside, inexplicably counting down from 72 minutes with a stack of cookbooks on top of it growing increasingly hot.
A dog in My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue.
Racing over, I unplugged it and then looked around to see an angelic face staring up at me.
Otis, our six-month-old Labrador puppy, whom we had adopted two weeks previously, was shifting uncomfortably on his hind legs, perhaps sensing the stress emanating from his new owner. It seemed that by jumping up to put his paws on the counter, he had somehow banged off the round timer knob on the microwave, setting it to 95 minutes. Immediately catastrophising about what could have happened, I sat on the floor and thought tearfully, “I don’t think I can do this.”
A dog in My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue.
Since coming to live with us, Otis had upended our kitchen bins if left alone for longer than 30 minutes, eaten anything he could reach on the table or counter and had greeted us with what can only be described as puddles of faeces first thing in the morning on several pungent occasions (we weren’t aware of his sensitive stomach yet).
And that’s getting away lightly. Lots of people experienced far more extreme examples of behaviour from new or rescued dogs - like chewing furniture or skirting boards, excessive barking, aggression towards strangers or anti-social behaviour on walks.
A dog in My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue.
So, it begs the question: why on earth would anyone introduce a dog into the mix at Christmas when chaos is often already at an all-time high? And yet, so many of us do.
Adopting or rescuing a dog
My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue is an animal welfare organisation that rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes neglected and abused animals with the aim of giving them a better life. When I spoke to them, they said that there can be a lot of confusion over what’s involved in rescuing an animal.
“A lot of people panic over home checks,” explains Orla Donohoe, who works for the organisation. “This is not about what your house is like - it’s to make sure the garden and side exits are secure and that the dog will be sleeping inside.”
Murt, greyhound - available for adoption.
When it comes to visiting the rescue, Orla noted that a lot of people want a dog now, but she strongly encourages waiting until the right dog comes in that will best suit your lifestyle.
Martina Kenny, co-founder of My Lovely Horse Rescue, agrees.
“A dog should not be a Christmas present or a thing for under the tree,” she exclaims. “The average lifespan of a dog is 13 to 15 years – that means loving your pet after the puppy stage, into their naughty, energetic teens and golden years.”
Otis' puppy dog eyes work every time.
When I ask what someone should do if a family did get a dog for Christmas and things aren’t working out as they had hoped, she said that they should consult animal experts, dog behaviourists or friends that have gone through something similar.
“Put time and energy into your dog,” she stated simply. “You are the person that dog now depends on, [you’re] its lifeline.”
When all else fails
If your efforts are in vain and you still want to rehome your dog, Martina’s advice is to get it neutered because if it falls into the wrong hands, it could be used for breeding.
“Don’t just put an ad up saying ‘Dog for rehoming, only good homes may apply’. Humans lie,” she warns.
Make sure your dog is given to good people, who will put time and energy into giving them the best possible forever home.
Finding your perfect pet
My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue always tries to match a specific dog with a family or person. They also suggest fostering the dog for two or three weeks before making a final decision.
Henry, bulldog - available for adoption.
“This helps people relax and take the time to get to know the dog,” says Martina. “After all, you will now be sharing your home with them for the next 10 plus years.”
She is keen to encourage people to adopt rather than buy because in her words: “'Rescue’ does not mean ‘damaged’. It means they have been let down by humans."
Read more
Legal: ‘as a trained farmer, how do I claim for stamp relief’?
Children’s authors Adiba Jaigirdar and Katie O’Donoghue on a life in books
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