Summer 1996

I find it interesting to look back and observe how I got to where I am today. All the decisions and happenstances and luck good and bad where literally turning a different corner would have taken you somewhere completely different that is now lost to fate. When I look back at the reasons for Jemima coming into my life I often wonder did I really want a Dog or did I just want to belong? I certainly remember thinking that Catherine, my girlfriend of the time, would be “the one” as a woman would call it. To get a Dog was a logical step in my planned relationship process i.e :

• Step 1) Meet girl and play up to the fact that I lived in Richmond to impress her
• Step 2) Start seeing said girl, fall in love and move in together
• Step 3) Buy House and get a Dog.

In reality though there turned out to be a step 2.1) Tell girl to move out because you want to be with girl number 2 while having secretly slept with girl number 3, 2.2) Start seeing girl 1 at the same time as girl 2 because you don’t know how to say no, 2.3) Forget to phone girl 2 when she’s ill, 2.4) move girl 1 back in and make plans to buy a new House.

Logically speaking having deviated from the original plan but having arrived back on track after a meandering, exciting but ultimately humiliating detour the next step was to get the Dog. I remember vaguely the conversations about getting two Labradors someday, one Yellow and one Black, and calling them Biscuit and Liqourice. It definitely was not in plan though that I would secretly investigate Labrador breeders straight away and find somewhere that had a Yellow Male and Black female available sometime during the run up to Christmas 1996. I found the perfect pair of breeders who were located in the vicinity of my hometown. One had Yellow Males and the other a single Black Female.

So I went to see the two litters of puppies inside 24 hours on special consideration - you’re supposed to leave 48 hours between litters – on the basis that each breeder knew each other and trusted that their respective litters would not be carrying any infectious diseases. I went to see the first litter on a Friday night and the old lady breeder told me she would let me know if she would allow me to buy one of her babies the next day – I phoned her in the morning and she said no. The second litter I went to see on the saturday afternoon. I found myself arriving and not being quite sure where I was going found myself walking through the grounds of the small stud farm and there seemed to be nobody about. I turned a corner and there they were…6 or 7 small bundles of black fur all huddled up together in an outhouse and craning their necks up to see me.

They were all sitting in some kind of bed with a single lightbulb hanging down from the ceiling. The light was turned on. It was then that I noticed the house and a lady sitting inside. I approached and she saw me and came to greet me. She introduced herself as Jean Allen and sat me down at her kitchen table. We exchanged pleasantries before getting down to the serious business of Dogs. I explained what I was doing and she set about explaining the nature of the commitment to getting a Dog.

It fell on deaf ears really because when it came to Dogs I felt like an expert. Not because of any great knowledge of Dogs but because I had grown up with them and I felt connected to them. I was the kind of boy that was left in the protection of a Dog while my Grandparents went out. I’m sure any sane person today would throw their hands up in horror at the thought of leaving a baby with a Dog but back in the 1970′s it was normal. Wasn’t it? Turns out it probably wasn’t normal but in my heart of hearts, given the Dog that I was left with wouldn’t even let family members that it knew touch me if he’d been told to look after me, I can’t get excited about it. I wouldn’t leave my own children in the house alone with a Dog but I don’t find it distressing that it was done to me. In fact I feel safer around Dogs than I do people. So I was sitting there in Jean Allens kitchen listening to what a Dog needs and what to expect and I tried to make the right noises and to say the right things. I was very aware after my rejection of the morning that it was a serious business getting a Dog these days. After a short while and intimating that I was unperturbed Jean went off to get the puppy. She returned a minute or so later with a small bundle of black fur, a pretty little girl, and proceeded to stand her on the kitchen table and to arrange her legs in what was presumably some kind of showing pose. Poor little girl was shivering and seemed subdued. That being the first time I saw Jemima I think I fell in love immediately and even today as I write it gives me goosebumps thinking about it. After a minute or two Jean put the puppy down on the floor and continued to talk but now all my attention was on this little thing that was starting to explore the kitchen. She wandered around sniffing the floor and anything she could reach. I say sniffing because that was presumably what it was but instead of a regular Dog sniff it sounded more like a truffle pig. How could a little baby make such a noise? I found this rather amusing but didn’t show it and carried on trying to listen to all the advice and lecturing. Then the little puppy went over to the water bowl and laid down and stuck her nose in the water to drink – this was funny for me as I’d never seen a Dog lay down to drink before. Continuing unabated Jean kept going with her soliloquy and I tried to listen intently. Suddenly I felt a tug and as I looked down this funny little Dog, who I now noticed had an odd stripe down her nose, was looking at me with a mischievous face and was tugging on the cuff of my leather jacket. I waved my hand down there to play with her and she just kept tugging. I had to laugh and I felt connected to this now not so subdued little thing already.

Fortunately during the course of what was around 20 minutes Jean seemed to warm to me and she agreed to let me have her. I was rather happy at that point and gladly paid over my deposit. I seem to vaguely remember now that the little ones Mother was brought in for me to inspect – I was mildly interested because I thought this was what my little baby would grow up to be like. The Mother was a typical looking working stock Black Labrador and was short and stout. When I think back to seeing the Mother and how different Jemima turned out it makes me chuckle a little. My baby would grow up to be a little podgy at times but was in essence very slimline and delicate – people would mistake her for a puppy up until she was maybe 7 or 8 years old. Before I left I commented on the line down the puppies nose and Jean said not to worry as it would grow out as she got older to which I was a little disappointed – luckily it never did. That day, leaving the farm, I was happy and couldn’t wait to pick her up in 4 weeks time.