I was 24 years old when I got my first Spaniel. I always loved the breed and my Mother's family had all grown up with Spaniels and had shared many fond stories with me, therefore I knew that when the time came for me to get my own dog, it was going to be a Spaniel... a Golden Girl. I was still living with my parents at the time though and I knew that I should ask for permission to get a dog, however I also knew what that answer would be. "No!" But I couldn't accept that in my heart and just knew that I "needed" to have one.
So I sneakily and quietly started searching for a pup. It was 1995 and in those days one would look through adverts in the Classifieds of the Newspaper to find a puppy. I came across an ad for Spaniel Puppies in Greytown, KwaZulu Natal and they would be delivered to Durban at 8 weeks old. So I booked a baby girl puppy, paid my monies and waited very excitedly for the next few weeks to pass until she was due to arrive. Of course I was terribly nervous... here I had committed to a dog for life and yet my parents knew nothing about it and they had made their feelings quite clear that there were to be no more dogs. Being a person that always did what I was told, I decided to break my mould and act more like my sister and just do it and ask for forgiveness later.
The day arrived (it was a Saturday afternoon) and I had her bed ready, her blanket,
feeding bowls, collar, name tag etc (all hidden in my car). I was soooooo excited, but very nervous too, as I had never disobeyed my parents before. I hopped in my car, made some excuse as to where I was going and off I sped to the meeting point... a Petrol Station in Westridge, about 25 minutes from my home in Durban North.
Upon arrival, I could see the family were there already and they were handing out the puppies to their new families. I walked up to them and said who I was and they said "yes, this is your baby girl". They placed her in my arms and it was absolute love at first sight. She looked so tiny and so adorable and I felt so happy that I finally had her. She lay in her bed on the seat next to me during the drive home and I was so nervous for what lay ahead... it was time to fess up to my parents.
When I got home, my Dad was lying on the couch watching cricket on TV, my Mother was pottering in the kitchen making something delicious and I walked in with my golden girl in my arms and said... "look who's come to see you..." My parents just looked at me and my Dad immediately said "No!... it's not happening... we are not having any more dogs!". So I just burst into tears and poured out my whole sob story of how I was feeling lonely and in need of a companion, someone to love that was mine, and that I would be totally and solely responsible for her and all her costs etc. etc.
This little puppy was in my arms, blinking at them and me in confusion and between licks and cuddles and lots of tears on my part, my Dad
reached out his hands to her and I gave her to him. He lay on the couch holding her straight out in front of him and looked at her adorable face and big floppy paws and said... "well, she is quite a good looking pup", and I knew in an instant that she was IN! But, as if timed, she promptly threw up all over him! After all the traveling that this little puppy had done that day to get there, she was feeling a bit car sick, but it didn't matter, as she was IN!
After mopping up the sick off my Dad's chest, my Mother asked me what I was going to name her and I said with absolute confidence... "HONEY". She's going to be called "Honey", and when I come home each day I'm going to open the door and say "Hi Honey, I'm home!"
