Work experience student Tayla has just finished a week with us at the Library. Although she may have a passion for books and libraries, it is dogs that are her true passion.  She tells us the story of finding her current fur-baby.

Isn’t it incredible how much a dog means to a person, they truly are man’s best companion. Funny thing is, I never owned a dog but always had wanted too. I never thought that I would get the chance to until my thought suddenly changed. When I was a child, I would non-stop complain about how badly I wanted a cute little puppy. It didn’t matter what I was talking about or discussing with my parents, the fact of owning a dog always came into the talk, at one point I even considered wanting a dingo (being a child, they were the closest look alike to a dog, yet I had little knowledge of what a dingo actually was).

My grandparents had previously owned a Tenterfield Terrier named Kandi.  Kandi was a very rare dog, the runt of the litter. Complexion was completely white like soft fluffy snow, except for her little black head, as dark as charcoal & not any bigger than a tennis ball. Kandi lived for a great amount of time a month under 16 years to be exact, a brilliant life & was just an all-round amazing little rascal. I had been brought up with her for my whole life & when she passed away on the operating table (she had very bad arthritis, went deaf & blind) a large chunk of me went missing. This year, of 2012 was also the year my cat Tabby passed away, also very shattering.

Time had passed since beautiful Kandi had passed away & my grandparents were beginning to get lonely again, so was my sister & I. My grandparents were considering obtaining a new companion. Their decision was made & it was a yes, a yes! A new little dog running around their back yard, a new pet to own but most importantly a new best friend for us. My grandparents went to get the puppy, my mum, dad, sister & I as well (this was a pretty big deal for us as my sister & I got to choose the puppy). We went back to the same breeder to pick the puppy up. There was a picket fence full of dogs, not any bigger than my foot. It was a marvellous sight, if I recall correctly I even shed a tear of joy. You see, my grandma did have a preference, she wanted a little girl & there were only 3 girls to pick from. My sister & I after a long think came to a decision on getting the 1 puppy (yes I did want to keep them all, but sadly couldn’t no matter how hard I persuaded). The young, energetic but also highly timid doggy we chose was later named Ko-Ko (Taking after Kandi, with the K’s). As soon as we brought her home to grandmas, Ko-ko had a bit of a sniff around & then scrambled into hiding behind the barbeque. She was petrified of all the people around her & also being in a new environment. Ko-ko later got used to her new home.

It was Mid 2015, when a few of my pets were no longer with us. My grandma started to notice how down & sad I was looking since they had left. A couple of weeks before Christmas & everyone in my house was starting to get excited about the festival season. AS every year, my parents asked me what my present preferences were & also like every other year ever, I said I wanted a puppy. I ALWAYS got the answer of “Maybe if you keep being good Santa will bring you one” which raised my hopes.

When Christmas morning came, I was so excited I tripped through the lounge room door & stubbed my toe, skin in shreds, blood stained carpets, you name it (gross, I know) but I still carried on my adventure to await my gifts. Shortly after I had some time to wake up properly & fix my badly band aided toe, my grandparents arrived which meant PRESENT TIME! I started to unwrap a few things, getting the usual new socks & a few jumpers with some large gifts (Xbox games, iTunes cards, board games) but I still didn’t receive what I had always wanted… My puppy! It got to the last present which had mine & my sisters name, cursively written with gel pen on a silver envelope. A photo with a teeny tiny dog was inside. I then walked up to my mum & grandma sitting together.  I shrieked “awwwwh look at Ko-ko”. My grandma looked at me with a smile, my mum with a smiley smirk, then softly spoke “Tayla, that’s not Ko-ko, that’s your dog” I was practically speechless then what my grandma & mum had said finally settled into my head. Did they really just say MY DOG!? I Then burst into tears of joy… literally. I had got what I had wanted forever & nothing could bring me down.

The day after which was boxing day we went back to the same breeder, to get our new dog, a Tenterfield terrier to carry on the tradition. When we arrived there I showed the lady the photo of the dog. I saw her & picked her up & yet again was in tears of joy from this cute little girl. We took her home, trying to think of a name the whole way back, but just couldn’t quiet think of one that fitted perfectly. When we got through the gate, I was hungry from our long trip so I went inside to eat some food. I got a choc chip muffin. My sister then screamed “MUFFIN” It fitted perfectly for her with her face looking like a chocolate chip muffin itself!  She was then named Muffin. Muffin wasn’t timid like Ko-ko was; she just settled in nicely & started to play with me.

I have now had muffin for 1 ½ years & I can gladly say she has made a huge impact in my life. I take muffin for hour weekly walks in winter & in the summer when the suns beaming bright as laser beams; I try to walk her every day. I feed muffin her morning kibble & smacko making sure she sits & shakes (I taught her these commands), I feed her dinner every night,  wash her bowl giving her nice, ice cold water but I most importantly look after her like she is a child (she’s so spoilt).

I am so grateful to have such a well behaved, playful puppy companion to call my own & would highly recommend the Tenterfield terrier to anyone who is looking into buying a dog as of their placid nature, well being with children, time management (being able to leave them at home alone) & they aren’t much work as of their size. What’s not to love about our licking lovable pets.