A Tail of Two Dogs

The last Dog who lived with us, was a Samoyed called Kola. He was big and white and fluffy and gorgeous. His name was a Sioux word meaning "friend" and never was a doggy name more perfect or more apt.

A Samoyed is a type of husky dog. Originally bred by the Samoyed tribes of Siberia, they have more stamina than Siberian Huskies so they can pull sledges for longer distances albeit with less speed. Their sparkling fluffy coats keep the tribe warm at night, and their high pitched yap carries far across a vast flat and barren land.


The day we collected puppy Kola (a walking cotton wool ball) from his breeder was my birthday and a week before I discovered I was pregnant. Bad timing because Kola was a very naughty dog! That's the nature of a Samoyed. They think they're human but when I say 'human', think "boistrous teenage boy". He was alot of work, needed grooming every day, and never ever did as he was told. Not for lack of training either, that's just what the breed is like. But his gentle and fun-loving nature, and lovely smiley face won everyone over and he knew it.


The day he died, 7 years ago from cancer, was one of the saddest days of our life, so we have been reluctant over the years to fill his space with another but Jimmy has been nagging us ever since.


And so it happened that last bank holiday we went for a walk to a place where last we went, Kola was with us.


We reminisced, we discussed, we remembered, and we thought "wouldn't it be nice to have a dog today", then one thing led to another, and before we knew it, we decided that the time is right. But despite their captivating personality, another Samoyed was out of the question. NO, no no! We need a dog who does what he's told, who is laid back, easy to care for, low maintenance and most importantly, mature and in need of a home. So we called The Retired Greyhound Trust. Two weeks ago - they don't half move fast! We had to choose a dog from a list of dogs needing homes. That was difficult ... how could we discriminate? But choose one we did, and when he came to meet us, it was love at first sight.



The polar opposite of Kola. We have named him "Marley". Because he is black and chilled, and Jimmy already thinks he's a Legend.