I saw a video the other day that really upset me, it was of a man who was physically abusing a full grown dog. I won't go into detail because it really was just awful, the reason I saw it was because the people who shared it were trying to raise awareness for animal abuse... my awareness has definitely been raised. I've always known that animal abuse was a thing and that it exists in the world, but it's something I had never really sat down and thought about. There was something about this video that really touched me, as humans we get to decide where we live, who we spend our time with, when we go on holiday, when we've had enough and want to move on, but animals don't have that ability.
A dog gets born and doesn't have a choice who owns it, they just get bought and taken, whether it be to a loving family, a single person, a married couple or a really awful human being. It doesn't just stop there either, as humans, we can decide who we spend our time with but animals don't. If their owner is abusing them they have to live with it, as humans we have other options such as the police or social services but animals don't have this. Even if they run away and get found by someone else, if they have the address on their collar or are chipped they will just get taken right back to their abuser and the founder is none of the wiser. It really is a sad reality and it made me really upset when I thought about it.
I am in no position where I can do anything as I am just one person but to raise awareness for animal abuse I'm going to share some stories and photos of my dog, Lewis.
Lewis is a simple dog... who am I kidding if he was one of the seven dwarfs he would be Dopey. He really is soft! but that's one of the things I love about him, but like any dog, I think it's best to start at the beginning.
I was young and I had a hamster called Yoda.... yes Yoda. When we moved house he passed away and I was upset so like any normal family we decided to have a puppy. Yep, we had a puppy, you know a typical family has a puppy and all that jazz. We had a lovely golden Labrador and we decided to call him Mitch; for all of a week because he wouldn't answer to his name. After a week of shouting Mitch to the dog standing at the bottom of the garden staring at us, we had to think of a new name. I'm not really sure who came up with the name 'Lewis' but someone did and he came to it straight away, so from that day forward he was known as Lewis the Labrador.
So we had a puppy, all was well and good ... sort of and by that I mean he was a right pain (at times). I remember watching my mum read all these different dog training books and tutorials, we used to watch Dog Borstal every time it was on TV. Let's just say that Marley from Marley and Me ain't got nothing on Lewis! He used to steal clothes off the radiators when he ran past them and my mum would have to chase him around the house to get the clothes back (and then wash them again of course as they had dog slobber all over them).
The once we had a visitor and he chewed through her high heels whilst we were in the living room... yes he actually chewed through a pair of high heels. That's not where it ends with the chewing, though, he used to eat all of his toys so he never had anything to play with, our shoes would be none existent if we left them on the floor, his dinner was gone in one bite and so would ours if he had the chance. He even chewed through part of a door frame whilst we were out for a couple hours, yes he was a definite chewer! My mum read online that if you paste mustard over your door frames and doors he won't chew them anymore as dogs don't like mustard.
Yes! We thought, let's do that! So we did...
Let's just say we had a Labrador licking all the door frames for the next couple days because he loves mustard!
"Why can't I have a normal dog like everyone else?"
I don't know Charlie Brown, but I'm in the same boat! because of his continual destruction to everything my mum bought him an indestructible ball. No dog has ever been able to destroy this ball, some of the reviews were good too. It was a nice ball, to be honest, it was heavy but still slightly bouncy and was great for catch, it had a nice space grey colour to it with little bones engraved every now and again. Yeah, it was gone in about a month. Lewis ate it! I do admit it took him a month to destroy it, but he still did it. Since then he's never had any toys.
When I was younger I didn't really bother with Lewis so much, I was always in my room listening to music and playing DVD's over and over again. Once I was off school as I really wasn't feeling very well, I can't remember what was wrong with me but I was downstairs sat on the settee for the whole day. Lewis did not leave my side, he kept putting his head on my lap and looking up at me, sort of like he knew I was ill?. It's so weird how animals have that sense that we don't but he knew and he would not leave me alone.
Another funny puppy story was... one time my step dad was fitting concrete slabs in the garden and Lewis was chilling in the porch ogling out at him like any dog would. My mum lets him out to do his business as he needed to go outside. My step dad accidentally dropped a concrete slab on his toe (yes, it apparently really hurt and even bruised up, I also think he lost part of his toenail but I could've dreamt that bit, you know what 11-year-olds minds are like). My step dad took his slipper off (I know he was silly for fitting concrete slabs in slippers but that was his choice) to look at the damage. Lewis then decided to bomb it past him and grab his slipper on the way, my step dad then had to hop around the garden, one hand on his hurt toes and the other trying to get Lewis to drop his slipper. I felt really bad for him, but it was hilarious from the back bedroom window.
As he got older we decided to take him on longer walks, we took him to a field which had an open body of water. We knew he wouldn't touch it as he has never seen an open body of water before. Oh how wrong we were, he jumped straight in and started doggy paddling. It was a horrible mossy pond so we were trying to get him out without us falling in but he was happy enough swimming along. It was a bit embarrassing when other dog walkers were staring at us with their well-behaved dogs, though.
I also vaguely remember a time where he managed to chew through the garden fence and run all over our neighbours garden. We were out so she had to use some meat from her fridge to entice him back onto our garden. She was a miserable mardy woman anyway so I weren't really that bothered and I'm pretty sure Lewis did a dump on her garden haha! Nice one Lewis!
We also took him on our family outings to Wales. We could never leave him behind for all that time, so we always used to pack his things and bring him with us. We used to take the parcel shelf out of the car and he used to sit in the boot whilst we were on the way there. We always used to drive there although we used to have to be mums rear view mirror as Lewis' head used to block the view. The once he was sick on the way there but we couldn't stop as we were driving through lanes, when we did eventually stop we took him out of the car to clean up the mess but when we opened the boot there was no mess, but we knew he had been sick because the car stunk of dog vomit. Yep, he'd only gone and eaten it again hadn't he!
He used to love going to Wales, he would go to the beach and the fair and he loved it. I think we all did.
We went for a walk to Dovedale, I don't know whether you've ever been there (in the UK) but it is absolutely gorgeous, cold but gorgeous. There you can go for walks along the countryside and just escape from your routine. Half way along your walk you have to cross a river, (not like a canoe or a boat) you have to go across the stepping stones. I went across as nice as you like then we had to try and get Lewis to come across without him going in the water (as it was freezing cold). Another family started to go across in between and then my mum got Lewis on the first stone and she followed him so he couldn't run off anywhere (he didn't have a lead on as it was a pretty thin path). He then started leaping across the stepping stones and the family in front started to run across the stones as there was a Labrador bounding towards them on these stepping stones (it was very funny from the safe side of the river) my mum was shouting him and eventually he missed a step and fell in. Once he doggy paddled to the edge and got out he then decided to shake all over the family who he had just startled to death on the stepping stones!
Of course, I've saved the best story till last. We were walking through our local woods where you can go for dog walks, bike rides, picnics, family trips out and sports games. You name anything outdoor activities and you can do it there. Well, we were taking Lewis for a walk and everything was going fine until all of a sudden he ran off! He just ran, he did have a lead on but it slipped out of the walker's hand and he just ran. Of course, he ran straight over to the barbecue stands where all the food was being cooked. We all ran after him and then to our horror did we realise what had happened. There was a couple sitting on a picnic blanket who had a big cake on a cake stand (they were obviously celebrating something whether it be a birthday or an anniversary) and guess who's face was shoved in the cake?... Yep, you guessed Lewis. He had run over to them and started eating their celebratory cake! One of those big cakes you buy and share between 14 people had just been devoured in front of their eyes by a golden Labrador. Let's just say they weren't to impressed.
Now you might just be thinking, yes everyone has funny stories of their pets what makes yours so special. Well, the simple fact of that they're mine. I grew up with this dog and he still makes me giggle to this day, I couldn't imagine growing up without him. I'm older now and so is he, we embarked on the journey called life together, he's seen me through junior school, high school, college and university, plus he's still here now. He's even seen my awful teen stage when I thought I was so cool and knew everything! He knew me at a time when I never plucked my eyebrows... hard to imagine I know but he was there non the less and he loved me all the same. He didn't care that others may not have liked me or that my eyebrows connected in the middle or that I had hair on my upper lip, he was my dog and I was his ... human?
Lewis is older now (he doesn't act like it at all but he is) and I know our time together is now ticking faster than ever. When he has passed on, these are the things I will think about, this was Lewis. This was his life and I'm happy that I've been able to give him a good one. I know we moan about our pets (trust me Lewis was always in some sort of trouble) but they are the things that we always think back on. All of these stories have been Lewis getting into trouble, and at the time we would've been mad at him for doing them (especially my step dad with the concrete slab) but I know once he is gone we will be smiling and laughing at these things because that was just him.
This is Lewis and I can truthfully say he is the best dog anyone could ever ask for.
Have any of you got a dog? Got any funny stories from your pets? Let me know in the comments below :)
A dog gets born and doesn't have a choice who owns it, they just get bought and taken, whether it be to a loving family, a single person, a married couple or a really awful human being. It doesn't just stop there either, as humans, we can decide who we spend our time with but animals don't. If their owner is abusing them they have to live with it, as humans we have other options such as the police or social services but animals don't have this. Even if they run away and get found by someone else, if they have the address on their collar or are chipped they will just get taken right back to their abuser and the founder is none of the wiser. It really is a sad reality and it made me really upset when I thought about it.
I am in no position where I can do anything as I am just one person but to raise awareness for animal abuse I'm going to share some stories and photos of my dog, Lewis.
Lewis is a simple dog... who am I kidding if he was one of the seven dwarfs he would be Dopey. He really is soft! but that's one of the things I love about him, but like any dog, I think it's best to start at the beginning.
I was young and I had a hamster called Yoda.... yes Yoda. When we moved house he passed away and I was upset so like any normal family we decided to have a puppy. Yep, we had a puppy, you know a typical family has a puppy and all that jazz. We had a lovely golden Labrador and we decided to call him Mitch; for all of a week because he wouldn't answer to his name. After a week of shouting Mitch to the dog standing at the bottom of the garden staring at us, we had to think of a new name. I'm not really sure who came up with the name 'Lewis' but someone did and he came to it straight away, so from that day forward he was known as Lewis the Labrador.
So we had a puppy, all was well and good ... sort of and by that I mean he was a right pain (at times). I remember watching my mum read all these different dog training books and tutorials, we used to watch Dog Borstal every time it was on TV. Let's just say that Marley from Marley and Me ain't got nothing on Lewis! He used to steal clothes off the radiators when he ran past them and my mum would have to chase him around the house to get the clothes back (and then wash them again of course as they had dog slobber all over them).
The once we had a visitor and he chewed through her high heels whilst we were in the living room... yes he actually chewed through a pair of high heels. That's not where it ends with the chewing, though, he used to eat all of his toys so he never had anything to play with, our shoes would be none existent if we left them on the floor, his dinner was gone in one bite and so would ours if he had the chance. He even chewed through part of a door frame whilst we were out for a couple hours, yes he was a definite chewer! My mum read online that if you paste mustard over your door frames and doors he won't chew them anymore as dogs don't like mustard.
Yes! We thought, let's do that! So we did...
Let's just say we had a Labrador licking all the door frames for the next couple days because he loves mustard!
"Why can't I have a normal dog like everyone else?"
I don't know Charlie Brown, but I'm in the same boat! because of his continual destruction to everything my mum bought him an indestructible ball. No dog has ever been able to destroy this ball, some of the reviews were good too. It was a nice ball, to be honest, it was heavy but still slightly bouncy and was great for catch, it had a nice space grey colour to it with little bones engraved every now and again. Yeah, it was gone in about a month. Lewis ate it! I do admit it took him a month to destroy it, but he still did it. Since then he's never had any toys.
When I was younger I didn't really bother with Lewis so much, I was always in my room listening to music and playing DVD's over and over again. Once I was off school as I really wasn't feeling very well, I can't remember what was wrong with me but I was downstairs sat on the settee for the whole day. Lewis did not leave my side, he kept putting his head on my lap and looking up at me, sort of like he knew I was ill?. It's so weird how animals have that sense that we don't but he knew and he would not leave me alone.
Another funny puppy story was... one time my step dad was fitting concrete slabs in the garden and Lewis was chilling in the porch ogling out at him like any dog would. My mum lets him out to do his business as he needed to go outside. My step dad accidentally dropped a concrete slab on his toe (yes, it apparently really hurt and even bruised up, I also think he lost part of his toenail but I could've dreamt that bit, you know what 11-year-olds minds are like). My step dad took his slipper off (I know he was silly for fitting concrete slabs in slippers but that was his choice) to look at the damage. Lewis then decided to bomb it past him and grab his slipper on the way, my step dad then had to hop around the garden, one hand on his hurt toes and the other trying to get Lewis to drop his slipper. I felt really bad for him, but it was hilarious from the back bedroom window.
As he got older we decided to take him on longer walks, we took him to a field which had an open body of water. We knew he wouldn't touch it as he has never seen an open body of water before. Oh how wrong we were, he jumped straight in and started doggy paddling. It was a horrible mossy pond so we were trying to get him out without us falling in but he was happy enough swimming along. It was a bit embarrassing when other dog walkers were staring at us with their well-behaved dogs, though.
I also vaguely remember a time where he managed to chew through the garden fence and run all over our neighbours garden. We were out so she had to use some meat from her fridge to entice him back onto our garden. She was a miserable mardy woman anyway so I weren't really that bothered and I'm pretty sure Lewis did a dump on her garden haha! Nice one Lewis!
We also took him on our family outings to Wales. We could never leave him behind for all that time, so we always used to pack his things and bring him with us. We used to take the parcel shelf out of the car and he used to sit in the boot whilst we were on the way there. We always used to drive there although we used to have to be mums rear view mirror as Lewis' head used to block the view. The once he was sick on the way there but we couldn't stop as we were driving through lanes, when we did eventually stop we took him out of the car to clean up the mess but when we opened the boot there was no mess, but we knew he had been sick because the car stunk of dog vomit. Yep, he'd only gone and eaten it again hadn't he!
He used to love going to Wales, he would go to the beach and the fair and he loved it. I think we all did.We went for a walk to Dovedale, I don't know whether you've ever been there (in the UK) but it is absolutely gorgeous, cold but gorgeous. There you can go for walks along the countryside and just escape from your routine. Half way along your walk you have to cross a river, (not like a canoe or a boat) you have to go across the stepping stones. I went across as nice as you like then we had to try and get Lewis to come across without him going in the water (as it was freezing cold). Another family started to go across in between and then my mum got Lewis on the first stone and she followed him so he couldn't run off anywhere (he didn't have a lead on as it was a pretty thin path). He then started leaping across the stepping stones and the family in front started to run across the stones as there was a Labrador bounding towards them on these stepping stones (it was very funny from the safe side of the river) my mum was shouting him and eventually he missed a step and fell in. Once he doggy paddled to the edge and got out he then decided to shake all over the family who he had just startled to death on the stepping stones!
Of course, I've saved the best story till last. We were walking through our local woods where you can go for dog walks, bike rides, picnics, family trips out and sports games. You name anything outdoor activities and you can do it there. Well, we were taking Lewis for a walk and everything was going fine until all of a sudden he ran off! He just ran, he did have a lead on but it slipped out of the walker's hand and he just ran. Of course, he ran straight over to the barbecue stands where all the food was being cooked. We all ran after him and then to our horror did we realise what had happened. There was a couple sitting on a picnic blanket who had a big cake on a cake stand (they were obviously celebrating something whether it be a birthday or an anniversary) and guess who's face was shoved in the cake?... Yep, you guessed Lewis. He had run over to them and started eating their celebratory cake! One of those big cakes you buy and share between 14 people had just been devoured in front of their eyes by a golden Labrador. Let's just say they weren't to impressed.
Now you might just be thinking, yes everyone has funny stories of their pets what makes yours so special. Well, the simple fact of that they're mine. I grew up with this dog and he still makes me giggle to this day, I couldn't imagine growing up without him. I'm older now and so is he, we embarked on the journey called life together, he's seen me through junior school, high school, college and university, plus he's still here now. He's even seen my awful teen stage when I thought I was so cool and knew everything! He knew me at a time when I never plucked my eyebrows... hard to imagine I know but he was there non the less and he loved me all the same. He didn't care that others may not have liked me or that my eyebrows connected in the middle or that I had hair on my upper lip, he was my dog and I was his ... human? Lewis is older now (he doesn't act like it at all but he is) and I know our time together is now ticking faster than ever. When he has passed on, these are the things I will think about, this was Lewis. This was his life and I'm happy that I've been able to give him a good one. I know we moan about our pets (trust me Lewis was always in some sort of trouble) but they are the things that we always think back on. All of these stories have been Lewis getting into trouble, and at the time we would've been mad at him for doing them (especially my step dad with the concrete slab) but I know once he is gone we will be smiling and laughing at these things because that was just him.
This is Lewis and I can truthfully say he is the best dog anyone could ever ask for.
Have any of you got a dog? Got any funny stories from your pets? Let me know in the comments below :)
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