As soon as I got back I gave the lady a call half expecting her to have found someone else to look after Arthur while I had been on holiday, but she hadn’t so we set up a meet and greet session for Arthur to come over and have a look around and see if he was happy with what I had to offer. Arthur was a rescue dog and his original owner had lived in London before she found out that Arthur was not a city dweller by nature so he had been re-homed and had really fallen on his feet in the Cambridgeshire countryside.
On the appointed day Arthur duly arrived on time with his mum. He was a bit shy and reserved and I was told that he preferred human company to that of his canine counterparts, but after a short while he started to come out of his shell and as he got on well with Genghis it was decided that he would come twice a week starting in a few days time.
When the big day arrived Arthur turned up sitting in the footwell of his mum’s car. It was very funny to see his head peeping through the car’s window from his position on the floor and to this day the sight of him sitting down there still makes me laugh.
Arthur loved going for walks and as soon as we arrived in the field behind my house and I let him off the lead he would tear off barking at the top of his voice, leaping through the grass or springing up over the top of the crops a living embodiment of the term "Springer Spaniel". He would often hare off to the opposite side of a big field barking loudly with excitement all the time and he never seemed to get tired. At home he was far quieter and liked to keep himself to himself. He was very partial to toys and had no problem in stuffing as many as possible into his mouth so no one else could get a look in, but he didn’t like to be part of the rough and tumble with the other dogs and he would much rather sit in the kitchen at my feet while I drank a cup of coffee.
Arthur has been coming regularly to me for over two years now. We have walked miles together in all weathers and although he has calmed down quite a bit over time on his outings, he remains the same shy boy who is always at my feet waiting for a stroke from my hand. Arthur is a super looking dog with a lovely, friendly, quiet personality and being one of my longest customers he has a very special place in my heart.