Our dog is in love.
I will admit to some self-doubt about whether the good readers of this column would be interested in said dog, but then I saw Seamie O’Dowd posting a picture of his cat on Facebook and I took it as a sign.
Anyway back to the love story. He’s in love with the dog across the road. And I think it’s somewhat reciprocated. At least I hope for his sake that it is.
His name is Olaf. We didn’t name him, but decided to stick with it because like his Disney namesake he is white, fluffy and funny. There is also something Viking about the courageous way he loudly defends us from all invaders onto our property – postladies, crows, cyclists and other such life-threatening beings.
My father-in-law once described him as the randiest little fella he ever saw. He had the snip a few years ago, which unfortunately hasn’t quelled but merely diminished his enthusiasm. He often takes a notion around 11pm and tours the bedrooms to see if any of the sleeping children have left a leg in a decent position for him.
It’s not like that between Olaf and Cookie though. It’s more like two toddlers who can’t yet verbally describe how excited they are to see each other so run around screaming instead.
Like the forbidding moat separating a would-be prince from his castle-bound princess however, the problem in this relationship is the busy road that exists between them. And although if Cookie was hit by a car my concern would be with the driver, the same can’t be said for Olaf. He has no road-sense whatsoever and so one mistimed sprint to see his buddy and he’ll be as functional as a snowman in summer.
Like any non-adult friendship, it has more chance of flourishing if the parents approve. And our neighbours are amazing. They take Olaf for walks and bring him over for playdates. And just as a teenager allowed to drink by his parents won’t have the same urge to go chugging cans in some dodgy flat, the crazy canine charges across the road don’t happen as much any more.
But while I know they had to stop, part of me misses them. There was something infectious about them. Life had to stop for a few minutes when Cookie arrived because he demanded your full attention.
Like anything in life however, there is something we can take from it. Because if we all greeted the ones we love with half the enthusiasm Olaf displays when Cookie arrives into our garden, the divorce lawyers and illicit dating sites would quickly be out of business.