Walter

The last few weeks have been rather stressful, as our dog, Walter, has been ill. So it seemed an appropriate time to do a post about him.

When I was first ill, I got very lonely. I was stuck at home all day, too ill to go out and the only people I really saw were my husband and my parents when they were able to visit. Not only did I get very lonely, but I was grappling with coming to terms with an illness that had stopped my life in its tracks. At some point my husband and I started talking about getting a pet to keep me company. Initially we looked at house rabbits (apparently rabbits are happier living in a house and can be toilet trained), then we looked at cats and eventually we decided a dog was the answer, and after much research we settled on a Finnish Spitz as the most suitable breed. 

And that is how we came to get Walter. We had to go a long way to collect him, as there aren’t many Finnish Spitz breeders in the UK, and I remember being totally exhausted and wondering how we were going to cope with this tiny furry thing that had come into our lives. In hindsight, a puppy was not a wise idea. Puppies are extremely hard work and require almost constant attention, not to mention 15+ toilet trips into the garden every day, and our garden has a lot of steps.  What was good, was that short walks were exhausting for him, so Walter and I took short walks together and when we got home he slept and I rested.

Unfortunately, at some point I had a relapse and Walter’s walking ability overtook mine and I wasn’t able to walk him as much as he needed. We got a lot of help by sending him to daycare and later by having a dog walker.

As Walter has got older he has become a better companion for me. He likes to sit on the sofa with me and watch TV. He tucks himself under my arm for cuddles and given the opportunity will enthusiastically lick my face. Although I appreciate this sentiment, I try to avoid doggy kisses as they are rather slobbery, and you never know where his tongue has been. Or rather you do, and would rather he didn’t put it on your face as well.

 We’ve had a few behavioural problems to work on with him, and he is a complete nutcase, particularly when it snows. And at times he can be very tiring – I believe I mentioned barking in a previous post. But most of the time he is lovely. And I can honestly say I haven’t been lonely since we’ve had him. He may not be human, but he is an individual, with his own little, or not so little personality. He gets terribly worried if anyone cries or makes any strange noise (like choking or snoring) and will rush up to you and desperately try to lick your face. It’s hard to carry on crying when a dog is enthusiastically licking your face, and in fact he usually makes me laugh. Then we'll have a cuddle, and I will go back to my day feeling a little better.

In the last few weeks he has been sick a lot, and we’ve had several trips to the vet, which both Walter and I find very stressful. We’re waiting for some blood test results, which will hopefully give us some answers. 

I would definitely recommend getting a pet to anyone with CFS/ME. Although I would say that a puppy is probably not such a good idea, because whilst they provide great entertainment, they are very hard work, although a flat garden would make this a little easier. Do your research carefully, and bear in mind that pets can be expensive to look after, and if they are ill it is a terrible worry. But if you can afford it and are able to look after one, a furry friend is an excellent solution to the loneliness and isolation of being ill.