L is for Lea!

And so we are on to L

And that brings me on to my lovely Lea

Lea is a beautiful golden retriever 

Like Honey 

Lea is eleven years old 

We got her when she was 5 months old 

The runt of the litter 

From the start

She had to work harder than the other pups 

Just to survive 

I got her from a have a go breeder

Some guy who was just looking to make a quick buck

She lived with her family up until I got her 

And was never really socialised properly 

We collected her on a bright sunny May Day

We bundled her in to the back of Mums car 

And headed for home 

From the beginning 

Lea was a nervous wreck  

When we got home that first day

She jumped out of the car 

And ran down the garden 

Where she hid under a bush for the full day

I had to be so gentle and easy with her 

As the move seemed to be very traumatic for her

She was in a strange place 

With strange people 

And it took her a good while to settle in 

I had to be so patient with her

As slowly but surely she gained confidence 

I was the first one she bonded with 

She ran away from everyone else 

But I knew if I persevered with her

She would come around 

Lea has always loved her walks 

And gets very excited every morning at the prospect of going out 

The first few times we brought her in my Mums car 

She got very ill 

And promptly threw up

But when she got to the beach 

She was like a different dog

She ran on the sand 

Rolled in it

Swam in the water 

She loves the water 

And generally ran around like a lunatic

For the first year 

Lea was all legs 

She had quite poor co ordination 

And regularly fell over herself 

And her tail rotated she was wagging it so much 

Over time 

Lea got used to the car 

And now she absolutely loves it

Some days she likes to just sit in the car 

For hours at a time 

She really is a lovely dog though 

So placid 

And gentle 

You might remember the last time I was admitted to hospital 

Lea took it very hard

And took to her bed 

The fur on her back also fell out 

She seemed to be in a kind of depression

When I came home and began to recover 

Lea began to recover too 

It's no exaggeration to say that my dogs have saved my life and my sanity over and over again 

I have so much love for them 

And they bring such joy and fun to our house 

So Lea?

This one is for you....