We lived in France for a year, Sep 2014 – Aug 2015, with our little boy and Collie X. We’d gone from being a two-dog family to one after the death of our gorgeous Sadie the previous year. We’ve always had rescue dogs, I spend quite a bit of time looking at refuge websites and we decided that when we returned to the UK we would once again be a two-dog family…enter Eve (previously known as Maggie).
We walked Eve with Alice our Collie once we got to Carcassonne. She was very easy to walk but not really interested in us as there was such a lot of barking and excitement from all the other residents. She seemed quite aloof! We thought that as she had Labrador in her she would be a good choice for a house with a four year old in it. Whatever she’s crossed with is a bit more athletically built than a typical Lab though, slim and long muscular legs. We arranged to collect her the following week, spayed and with her new passport. She travelled brilliantly in the car. During the following weeks she grew in confidence and bonded with everyone including Alice (no mean feat as Alice is now 15 years old and can be a little grumpy with other dogs). She was house-trained so no problems there.
We had two months in France before we returned to the UK, again she proved to be a great traveller for what is a very long journey. We’re an outdoor-type family, love going for long walks and running, these activities are much nicer with your dog. Eve couldn’t agree more, she LOVES going running. When she sees me put on my trainers she gets very excited and starts jumping on the spot, she’s like Zebedee!
She does get too excited when we meet other dogs and being a big, strong dog can be hard for me to control but I’m starting to take treats when we go out as a distraction and reward. After walking/running her favourite pastime is sitting looking out of the window and barking at squirrels.
She’s affectionate, great with our (now) five year old, a friend for Alice, the best running mate I could have (she makes me feel safe in secluded areas) and we couldn’t imagine being without her. She’s turned into a lovely member of the Simpson family.