What's in a Name?

With my previous dog, Lucky, there was not much thought put into her name. As we were taking her home from the breeder my mum asked "what should we call her?" and my ever-so-creative 8-year-old self said "Lucky, because we're lucky to have her!" Cute, but not particularly original.

I won't be taking my new puppy home until June, over 4 months away, yet I have already found a name. This is due to a combination of boredom now that exams are over and my desperate pining for a dog. I've decided to call her Zorra, Spanish for 'vixen'. There were two reasons for this; 1) I really liked the idea of a Spanish name since I play polo and spend time in Argentina and speak Spanish, and 2) my dad and I used to watch Zorro all the time, we even carve tiny Zs in the door frames of houses we own (but not rent, sadly).

So there it is: Zorra, future wonder dog.

Flat Coat Retrievers

After much consideration I have decided to get a flat coat retriever puppy.

I wanted an energetic dog that I could take with me when I exercise the horses and when I go jogging. My boyfriend and some of our friends are really into shooting and so we went on a shooting trip to the highlands a few months ago. I really like eating game; it's much healthier and more humane than eating farm raised chicken (although with free range chicken that's getting a lot better). I am fascinated by working dogs and the relationships that they have with their masters, and I would love to pursue that with my future dog. This means that I was looking for a gun dog. I'm not a huge fan of labs, and though I love golden retrievers I decided against getting one. The poor puppy would forever be compared to Saint Lucky, my first beloved pet.

Through a lot of reading and searching I came across flat coat retrievers. I had seen them before but not known what they were. They look something like a slightly smaller, sleeker golden retriever with a black coat, or like a black Irish Setter.

Apparently they have great temperaments, are quick to learn as long as you train them right, and make great working dogs.

Why I Want a Puppy

I have always loved dogs. When I was a little girl I used to run up to strange dogs (much against my mother's will) just to pet them. We had two attempts at a dog when I was very young; one had to be returned to the breeder because she was too young to leave her mother and really should never have been given to us, and the other was lovely, except for the time she bit my brother in the face (he's fine, by the way). And then there was Lucky. We got her when I was 8 years old, and though she was bought as a family dog she became my dog. If you've ever seen Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (as any dog lover surely has) then you'll know what I mean. Lucky and I had a bond that rivaled Peter and Shadow's; she was even a Golden Retriever and in her older days looked just like the dog from the film. I was heartbroken when Lucky died during my first year of university; especially since I was not there to comfort her.

It is now over 4 years later and I am finally about to enter a situation where I can have a puppy! I have lived in student flats while at University, and traveling back and forth to the States over summers would have made a puppy impossible. Now, though, I am graduating and going to live in a dog friendly flat at the polo club which I play at and where I keep my two horses. And so let the puppy hunting begin!