I remember my mother telling me about a time when I was very little our family visited a friend who had imported a Papillon puppy. I do not have a single memory of that day. I do however remember owning a book about dog breeds of the world. I would study this book back to front…breed history, description, temperament, markings, colours and sizes. All while marking the pages of my preferred breeds. I can now still single out a breed of dog 100 metres away, just by the way it walks, wags its tail or markings.
It was in this book that I first came across a picture of three little black and white Papillons dogs. I thought they were the most beautiful dog I had ever seen. I wanted one! I wonder was this Cryptomnesia?
Throughout my childhood our family would own a menagerie of animals – Guinea Pigs, Budgies, African Lovebirds, Moggies, Pomeranian, Australian Silky Terriers, Turtles, Chickens, Butterflies, Green Tree Frogs, Australian Bearded Dragons and Mice. O.k so my big sister smuggled the mice in. She kept had them hidden under our house in ice-cream containers with little tubes connecting all the various sized containers together (actually, her makeshift design did have merit. You now pay a motza for similar concepts in most pet stores!). The mice must have really enjoyed their unique accommodation as they began to have lots and lots of babies. We were going to have to eat a lot of ice-cream!
After high school I moved into the city and decided to check out a new major furniture store. Here I stumbled upon a dinky little out of the way pet shop connected to the furniture store parking lot. Since I find it near impossible to pass a pet shop without taking at least a quick peek in, I decided to check it out (everyone knows a pet shop to me is like gaining free admission to the zoo). Just as I stepped through the doorway I caught sight of the most gorgeous fluffy white and tan puppy I had ever set eyes on. He was also looking intently at me.
I could not believe my luck – a Papillon!
Without hesitation I exclaimed to the store owner ‘I’ll take him’! I was so excited, buying him toys, food, treats, bedding, collars, leads and then bundling him into the car for the trip home. I settled on naming him ‘Corey’ (after two well-known actors from the 1980’s). I finally arrived at my unit that did not allow pets. Yes, you read that right….I started to reflect that I may not have thought this through very well. (I would now never support impulse purchase of pets and certainly not from a pet shop!).
O.k, I just need to devise a plan to smuggle little Corey into my unit, where I already have two cats and two birds waiting to greet him!
Tricky….very tricky.
Author Bio: Nikki is pack leader at Pressplay Pets, a blog for the modern age pet parent interested in health & care, news, reviews & personal accounts of unconditional love & at times heartfelt pain of pet parenting. She is also proud mum to cute and cheeky Papillons ‘Amber’ and ‘Indy’!
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