This is Sophia
And our carpet is rolled up because Sophia's not toilet trained (yet).
She's around six years old, but as a rescued 'breeder', she's lived most of her life in a cage having puppies. She's only now learning what grass feels like your paws and that it's safe to be in a harness.
Another big lesson was that she's allowed to move around in the house and doesn't have to stay in a box to feel safe.
Best of all, she's learning to play--three days after she arrived, she woke up frisky and bouncy and eager for her walk for the first time and it was the best moment I've had in a long time!
I knew we were getting a dog who would need a lot of care and patience. I'd not realised it would reorganise our entire life or that it would be so rewarding.
Because of a ear infection, Sophia needs her ears cleaned and medicated ear drops twice a day.
She needs dental work (when she's in better health because it'll be done under general anaesthetic).
Poor Sophia getting her ears treated. She put up a valiant fight but was outnumbered.
She'll also need to be sterilised (ditto).
She needs careful feeding and constant, gentle reassurance that this is home now and she is safe here.
What surprised me is learning that she doesn't need me to make up for her past.
I'd thought that would be the biggest part of the job--making up to her for all that humans had put her through up till now. But dogs, apparently, don't hold on to the past like people do--all Sophia needs to know is that she's safe right now, her tummy is full and her bladder empty and there will be food and exploratory walks tomorrow.
And maybe that could be enough for me too.
Since she arrived last week, my step count has gone up dramatically because of our walks. My days have acquired a new structure that feels effortless: early morning walk before my morning writing. Breakfast after ear cleaning and medication, Food prep and breakfasts all round. Sophia follows me on my rounds of watering and spraying plants, feeding and checking on the fish and Turtle Boy and because of her, I remember to take stretch and step breaks in between writing pomos instead of working right through them.
Which actually works out very well--because even with everything going on, like vet visits and pet store trips and grocery shopping, I've been keeping up with my writing quota with what feels like less effort than usual!
And I've been reading more too, maybe because I occasionally read passages out loud to her to see if she'll react (mostly she doesn't. Sometimes she yawns. But it's good for me because I'm hearing words again!)
I'm still in the rough draft phase so that's not saying much, but I feel like I'm writing like a real grown up professional writer now--I'm writing on a long leash, exploring and sniffing and scratching, but still connected to the main plotline.
That's something that's improtant for stories as well as dogs!
But it hasn't been nothing but a dog's life--a couple of days ago I got to meet up with Cathy Ace and Geoffrey for Singapore Slings at the Raffles Long Bar!
I had a wonderful time and saw with my own eyes Cathy's 'magic connection' when a research connection she'd been thinking about just walked up and presented itself... but I'll leave her to tell the story herself when the book comes out!
I could talk to Cathy for hours and normally I would have made an afternoon/ evening/ night of it. But I had to leave because I wanted to get home to Sophia. Not that I had to--she had someone with her and I'd got photos of her having her tea and going on her walk... but I wanted to get back to her.
The same way it feels when a new story starts to come to life and you want to get back to it even if you don't yet know where it's going. Or even more because you want to find out where it's going!
Sophia doesn't know any of this of course.
She just knows she is safe and part of a pack where important things (food, walks, cleaning, naps) happen on a routine in between adventures and new experiences. That creates a safe space for her to grow in.
And maybe I can approach writing that way too--not worrying about what went wrong previously or trying to get back to the dead rat on the side of the path (we're both still working on that one), but just walking on and exploring and trusting the leash for now.
Right now all is well.
And I find it nice to remember that even the Queen of Crime had a faithful writing companion who cared more about walks than deadlines.
Elizabeth Hadley's life size bronze sculpture of Agatha Christie and Peter in Torquay.
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