As an artist and someone who previously has worked with animals, in particular dogs, I’m often asked why I have such an affinity with animals. And if I’m honest I’m not 100% sure where it came from, but I 100% know why!
A little bit of history…
I owned my first rabbit Smokey and his guinea pig companion Squeeks, when I was just 5. I had sole responsibility to care for these two. Sadly Squeeks died quite young (obviously I now know that rabbits and Guineas pigs shouldn’t be kept together but this was the 90s). Smokey lived to be about 10. I was a lonely child (my brother passed away when u was 4 and he was 9) so Smokey was my best friend, I did everything for her, I used to even dress her up in baby clothes and sit in the front garden by the pond, watching the fish while she sat contented with a flower between her ears. She was an ace rabbit and acted more like a dog. It was then that I started to see animals in different ways. Rather than just a mammal that was kept in a hutch. They felt what we felt, they had unique personalities, and she gave me so much love and companionship I will be forever grateful for her. After an amazing trip to South Africa when I was 13 with my parents we came home and I got Major who was named after a Wolfhound that resided in a house we stayed at. I thought it was a boy, but now I know it was a female. She was equally amazing and died when I was 18. Back then rabbit husbandry and my knowledge wasn’t as vast as it is now. I’ve owned rabbits ever since and at one point I had 8 rescue rabbits. My last rabbit Toots passed about in 2015. Now since my youngest son was born this is the longest I haven’t had a rabbit. I know that I can’t give one the undivided attention that they deserve. Plus we have foxes in our new home and a dog that wouldn’t take too kindly sharing her space with a house rabbit.
Going back to dogs, my dads side of the family have owned dogs, his older brother had dogs when he was an adult, my cousins always had dogs. Which is one of the reasons why I loved visiting because I wasn’t allowed to own a dog until I was 14, when we rescued Max from the RSPCA.
My mums dad, my grandad, owned Fox terriers and Airedale terriers as his father breed them. So maybe through these links the love has trickled down through the generations. My cousins Sara and Simon have loved dogs as much as me, in fact Sara who now lives in Canada owned her own dog walking company as well.
Max was a beautiful black Labrador who was absolutely amazing and to this day I still miss the old boy. When my parents divorced and me mum and max moved I got a puppy frenchie x British bulldog called Molly. She was certainly quirky but oh did we love her. Max wasn’t sure at first but soon came around. Sadly Max suffered a stroke when he was 14 and was respectfully put to sleep. He got me through so much, teenage heartache with boyfriends, friendship fall outs and my parents divorce. He would sit on the bottom step at home with me when I cried over my parents and would rest his head on my lap and look up at me like he knew. He didn’t know why I was upset but he just knew I was sad and wanted to comfort me.
My Mum rescued Izzie not long after molly passed, who is a staffi x and was a bit of a handful, but she’s amazing now and will be 10 in December, she’s grown up with my eldest son and she’s so patient with my youngest, she also gets a bit bullied by the whippet!
When I met my husband I still had Max, and Molly was about a few months old and despite not being a “doggy person” fell in love with them both, but particularly Molly. She idolised him. Sadly Molly passed away aged 8 from cancer. She went too soon and It still hurts. Loosing max was hard, he was our first dog and Molly didn’t live the full life she should have done. Before her passing we got Stan the whippet who we still have now and who will be 11 in December. Not long after loosing Molly, my mum rescued Izzie, a staffi cross, mum was living in her own as I was living with my husband and my eldest son was now 17 months. Izzies grown up with my kids and is a wonderful dog with them, she patient and calm. And she got my mum through lockdown last year. We all now live together so I’ve gone back to having 2 dogs in the house and I love it. My husband won’t admit it but he loves it too, and I think he’s a converted dog lover now especially with Stan. Stan’s his boy (apart from our sons of course) he gets up with him in the night to tuck him back into his sleeping bag (yes he has a Doddy sleeping bag)
A working life with dogs
I have had a very varied working life with dogs, which started when I went to agricultural collage and studied animal management. As much as I loved working with reptiles, farm animals, small mammals etc it was the dogs I always gravitated to.
I started my own dog walking and small pet boarding company back in 2005, did a canine first aid with my best mate Jai, studied canine grooming then opened up a grooming parlour in 2010 (still had the dog walking business and pet boarding thanks to Jai for running it part time). But it all fizzled out when I had my first son who is now 9. I continued to walk part time when he went to nursery. But things did shift for me when I became a mother, I always believed that dogs were my life and I wasn’t very maternal. But my youngest proved that I had enough love to give to him, Molly and Stan.
It was at this point when I was walking part time and my friend was doing it full time for me. That I decided to paint some of my customers dogs as their Christmas presents and that’s where the portraits started.
I can’t answer how when or where my love for animals has come from but I can tell you that my love and passion for animals has never wavered, it may have changed a bit since having kids, but I’ve come around full circle. All I know is that animals don’t have any agendas, they love unconditionally, they don’t judge, if your in a bad mood or sad they will rest their head on your lap and look at you as though they know what your feeling. It’s true that last year pets got us humans through so much uncertainly and heartache. Isn’t it about time as a human race we realise that they deserve more?
9 years on I still love dogs and have Izzie a staffie x and Stan the whippet and I’m still painting pets. It’s been a bumpy road at times, but in all honestly I wouldn’t change anything for the word (even the tough times) because these are all the paths we’re meant to take to get where we need to be. And I know this isn’t it, I know I have so much more to offer.
If your interested in having a pet portrait done I have a few spaces left for Christmas, or maybe you would like a Christmas card, or a animal inspired print which can be sent as a download?
In 2022 I have so many more offerings so stay tuned to see what happens or sign up to my email newsletters. Just scan the QR code below to sign up.
Give your pets a big squeeze. Xx
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