Elska meets her new daddy

Elska's best sad face

 They gave her shots, which she didn’t like and sent us home. She ate a big lunch and a big dinner and we headed off to bed. I knew I would have to wake up in the middle of the night when my husband returned, so as to ensure that Elska didn’t get frightened when she saw him for the first time. He is a tall man, my husband. At around one a.m I heard the sound of our jeep and got out of bed. Elska got off her rug and went downstairs and then came back up again. She looked nervous. I carried her down once more and while she was still in my arms I instructed my husband to pet her. He said “Hello Elska” and patted her head, gently. I set her down then, at which point she nervously scampered behind me and sat. But she allowed my husband to pet her and I could see that she was relaxing under his touch.

Elska on her Daddy's lap, on the way to the vet

We went back upstairs and I recounted the whole story of Elska, what the pet shop owner had said and what the vet had said too. My husband too was shocked at how cruelly she had been treated. When you pass by or see a dog in a situation like that, it is upsetting to be sure. But when you begin to get to know the dog, and the dog becomes your own, the emotion that you feel is overwhelming.

Skinny little Dachsund

I know my dogs you see. As in I really know them. They all have distinct personalities, some are not morning dogs and others get offended if we are in bed past sunrise. Some are tactile creatures, reveling in any kind of affection while others are aloof. All dogs are loyal but some follow you from room to room. Dogs exhibit  marked characteristics and are extremely expressive. If you know how , you can understand a dogs psyche far more than you could imagine. It is this understanding that leads to well balanced dogs. If you know what they need as opposed to what they want, or what you would like to give them, then you are in a better position to raise a dog.

In the little time that I had gotten to know Elska I could see glimpses of her personality that shone through, despite her inherent nervousness. I knew already that she was extremely affectionate and was an attention fiend. She would take any kind of attention whenever she could get it, even when in a deep sleep were I to reach out and stroke her, subconsciously she would show me her stomach so that I could rub it. She slept the fittest if I kept her on my chest or lap. And she was my little shadow. She followed me everywhere. She had a perpetual need to know where I was at all times. She was a good dog, sensitive to my tone of voice and obedient. She would make a great pet and companion, with a little work and a lot of love I was beginning to realise that Elska was indeed living up to my belief that she could indeed be the world’s best dog if only someone would care to find out. I had cared and so did my husband now. It was a chance we took, but it slowly began to take shape as one of the best decisions we had ever made in our lives.