Blogathon 21/26: Mikey

I give the charity we fostered (then adopted him from) a briefing now and then (now he’s settled). The briefing was daily during December and January. Mikey settled quickly into the pack (even though Mavis – still – periodically reminds him she is the boss of him). He’d been with us for a couple of weeks when I noticed he had a slight stiffness in a foreleg. I put him on a course of supplements, and that’s made an improvement.

He’s a joy to walk on the lead and (unsurprisingly for a spaniel), he’s a tennis-ball obsessed dog. There’s nothing he likes more than running around with the other dogs, tennis ball in his mouth, woofling and barking like a loon. Mikey has finally figured out how to use the dogflap, but prefers it if we open/close the door for him. We think his preference is driven by being uncertain about whether he’s allowed to go out at will. He’s also a fan of the “couple of hours snooze” lifestyle. And it’s a joy to watch him and Pugsley chase each other when they’re in the garden. They alternate between being the chaser and chasee.

Mikey has found his voice though. When he thinks a treat is due, or he thinks he’s going out for a walk around the village, he’ll woofle until he tires (rarely), or we give in (rarely), or I distract him by taking him into the garden (often). Also, he’s a little FOMO and I don’t mean he follows me around like a shadow (he does), I mean he gets anxious when any of the other dogs get singled out for a lot of fuss and attention. We can only guess why. For an older dog, Mikey is extremely active and he’s thoroughly enjoying his life. I realise that not all rescue dogs come with so few issues as Mikey, but what tiny issues he does have are easily weighed against his many benefits.