The most important thing about leaving your dog with someone whilst you go on holiday or go to work is that you know and trust that person.
So here is a blog post all about me and my story.
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and a biscuit as it’s a lengthy one.
As I’ve said I’ve grown up with dogs all my life, in photos I’m either taking naps with them or dressing them up in Christmas tinsel! However, I have learnt that each dog is individual and not a text book mould of their breed. As a family we have had 3 puppies and 3 rescue dogs. I’ve seen malnourishment, trust issues and other behavioural outcomes due to a rescue dogs past.
Back in 2011 I broke my leg whilst playing rugby. Not only was the family dog (Maille) great company and mental stimulation but it was walking her that helped me rehabilitate myself back to full fitness. Please see black dog in my logo – that’s Maille (its Irish for Molly – pronounced Bailey but with an M)
I then dove into working hard and building myself a career. Getting promoted and pay rises meant longer / harder days of work plus pressure and unreasonable deadlines. It took its toll, I became distant, uninterested and had a sense of feeling constantly numb.
Being advised by a good friend to go to the Drs I was signed off work with depression and anxiety. In the beginning I slept. I slept a lot. Sometimes I didn’t get dressed or showered. I didn’t want to talk about how I felt as I didn’t know – all my feelings had disappeared – I was just existing and eating. Eating a lot.
However, Maille would come and find me and wag her tail regardless of how I looked. She was just happy to be in my company.
She would always lift my mood. I never associated any of her ‘looks’ or behaviours towards me as judgemental. So, after a few more weeks in bed having snuggles – plus doctors’ visits to sort out my medication – I wanted to get up and take Maille out for a walk. This kick started my first slow recovery with my mental health.
When you’re not at work, you have a lot of time to think.
I’ve always been the outdoorsy type and imagined myself being in all different types of careers but they never involved a desk and office. So, when I found myself in a warehouse job with no natural light (for security reasons) I knew deep down this wasn’t what I had imagined for myself. I started thinking it was time for a change. This was clearly the cosmos telling me to get out of the mundane.
I mentioned dog walking as a job to my parents who reminded me that extended family members still do and have successfully done this. The spark of excitement had been ignited.
During my time off, I began to help out a close friend with their dog. They would ask me to walk him once a week on the day that had a rather busy schedule for their family.
In 2016 I started a part time job to aid my mental health recovery. I realised this meant I could carry on walking my friend’s dog. I got the hang of this routine and started sharing my ideas / services by word of mouth and got more interest. Therefore, I decided to make it all official. - Create my own business!
During this time, I moved into my own house where I realised not having a dog to greet me when I walked through the door was disheartening. My mental health deteriorated slightly and I noticed I was spending more time in bed or lounging on the sofa watching TV and not getting out of the house on my days off.
So New Years Eve of 2016 I rescued Albert, a ginger staffy cross bull mastiff, from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. He became my world. We snuggled and slept the whole way home from London. Please see ginger dog in my logo
Having Albert made me get out of bed. I wanted to feed him, I wanted to walk him and I wanted to take care of him. In return he’d give me unconditional love, he’d wear all the silly outfits I bought him, and he’d make me laugh when he barked at me. He just wanted to be with me 24/7. Getting out and about with Albert on random adventures reduced my anxiety levels. I would easily talk to other dog walkers - my low mood was lifted.
As I was in better spirits, I delved into sorting out the nitty gritty establishing my own company. I applied for a start-up business loan and enrolled on some courses, created a Facebook page and Instagram account plus researched into website builders. Summer of 2017 I was officially a business owner!
Due to unforeseen circumstances I had to re-home Albert in 2018. This tested my mental strength considerably. I managed to find somebody I knew whose sister was looking for a dog and loved the staffy breed. After walks together and introducing Albert to his new house I knew they were the perfect couple for him. I could see how much he lifted their moods with his personality. Giving him up was the toughest thing I have ever had to do. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much in my life! Thankfully I hear lots of stories about him still which always makes me smile. Deep down I know he is with his forever home.
Luckily, I had a summer full of dog sits so I still had canine company to help me slowly mend my broken heart.
Mentally I’m now in a very good place which is helped through medication. People might think of this as an overshare but I’m a very honest person and I’m wanting to break the stigma that comes with mental health.
I have my good days and bad days. I may promise to meet a new client or make a phone call but then I don’t follow through. I’ve probably got anxious about talking on the phone or meeting somebody new. I stumble my words when I’m nervous which isn’t helpful. Eventually I’ll get around to completing these tasks. Sometimes I need to reset myself (normally a nap or a good night’s sleep works) to gain perspective and not be anxious about new things. So, if I do let you down, it’s nothing personal – it actually is me and not you!
Experiencing what I have over the years, I have learnt how important having a furry member of a family is. My goal is to keep learning as much as possible about animals and to one day give back to mental health and animal therapy charities.
Thanks for reading. I hope this has shown you who I am as a person and reassures you I’m genuine.
Lydia x
Comments