Five years ago this week, in a village in Cambridgeshire, an event took place that was to change my life. Born to a couple whose official names were What A Corker and Night Lovely, and one of a litter of seven standard long-haired dachshunds, was a black-and-tan boy whose breeders named Nigel (after Farage, I’m sorry to say).
He emerged into a fearful world – two weeks after he was born, the first cases of coronavirus in the UK were confirmed – and when he arrived into our lives a few months later, he was the very quintessence of a lockdown puppy.
The first thing we had to do was not to house-train him but to change his name (and in those days, Farage hadn’t even heard of Elon Musk). I got the Kennel Club forms, but it was only after I solicited the help of the readers of this newspaper to re-christen him that we settled on Leonard (after Cohen of that ilk, the poet and singer renowned for his similarly dark, soulful, melancholic countenance).
So, as I look today through the documents that arrived with him, I notice a leaflet entitled “Training the Dachshund”. That, I now realise, must be a joke. Everyone knows that dachshunds are virtually untrainable. “You must remember you are the boss and your dachshund must learn to respect you and obey your commands,” goes the advice, whereas more useful counsel would have been: “Remember that a dachshund is irredeemably single-minded and will not take a blind bit of notice of anything you say.”
Knowing what we know five years on, this guide reads rather comically. “Talk to your dachshund quietly, especially if he is shy or unsure of himself,” it states, “but use sensible encouraging tones rather than a lot of silly baby talk.” If only they could hear us now, having the sort of conversations with him that you might have with, for example, a self-confident five-year-old child. He’s not actually a dog, we are prone to explain to people who might eavesdrop on our exchanges with him, he’s one of the family.
The fight to stay young is as scary as getting old
Read MoreAt this point, you are probably thinking that we are terrible parents, indulgent and doting and untrainable ourselves. And you may well be right. But the very fact you are given an instruction manual when you get a dachshund must tell you that these dogs – bred to be hunters, incurably inquisitive and with a stubborn, Teutonic temperament – are not a walk in the park, even when you are walking them in the park. When you meet other dachshund owners, the first thing they say is: “Does yours also do exactly what he wants?”
Our Lenny is so single-minded in the pursuit of happiness that he’s already used up half a dozen lives. He’s gone missing, presumed lost, when he’s chased, variously, a wild pig, a deer and a hare – he hasn’t realised how heavily the odds are stacked against him. He still, effectively at middle age, has no real road safety awareness and he’s had two life-saving operations when he’s eaten something he shouldn’t have.
I sometimes wonder how he’s made it to the grand old age of five, and in preparation for this landmark I’ve bought him some calves’ liver which I will sauté lovingly for his birthday supper. See, who said he was cosseted? The fact is that it’s very hard to deny him. That characteristically plaintive look, his personality – part cussed, but the larger part loyal, affectionate, companionable and funny – and his admirably adventurous nature make him impossible not to love in the same unconditional way he loves us.
What’s more, as a member of the family, he’s taught us a lot – patience, care, trust and responsibility – as well as guarding us to the very best of his ability. We all recently decided that Leonard is, in fact, the most likeable, dependable and resourceful member of our family. Five years on, it’s impossible to imagine life without him, even though that particular fear has often kept me awake at night.
The resolve, therefore, is to enjoy these precious days in his company, put the calves’ liver on, and to toast his – and our – enduring good fortune. Happy birthday, Lenny.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Lessons from my dog, Lenny – and why we should live by them )
Also on site :
- Slovak PM Fico raises neutrality before NATO summit
- At least 51 Palestinians killed while waiting for aid trucks in Gaza, health officials say
- Numbrix 9 - June 18