Hey there!  Daily Doodle just reached 2,500 followers.  To mark the occasion I would like to share something important to me.  I would like to shamelessly talk about the love of my life…

This is my mini pooch Eddie.

I never thought I would end up with a toy breed.  Especially one which looks so much like a fluffy house elf.  Just to put this into perspective I am 6ft 2 and if you asked me 2 years ago what I thought of Chihuahuas I would have reeled off some tripe about trained rats, and proper dogs need to come up to the knee.  But he needed a home, and we had one so…

He is a rescue pup who came to me from an abusive puppy farm via an extremely altruistic friend.

When he first came to me he was very shy and under weight.  He had spent the first few months of his life in a cage with many other dogs, having to fight others for food.  As result he is pretty terrible around other dogs, despite my best efforts to socialise him.  The only noise he would make is crying if I left the room for more than a minute.

Now he is energetic, loud and a bit disobedient.  He sometimes gets aggressive, because he has learnt to guard his resources, but it has been so lovely to see him come out of his shell with time.

Slowly but surely he is getting better around people and other animals. He adores my cousin Ethan, and gets very excited when he comes to stay with us.

He also responds to ‘Monster’, which is a result of his obsession with dirty pants and socks and other mischiefs.

I also now know random semi-strangers in the local park by their dog’s names (shout out to Basil’s mum!)

He also hides under furniture if he thinks he is being left behind or is expected to go to bed.

He is surprisingly good with our rehoused cat Shelby (who is enormous and came to us from a very loving home).

Shelby sometimes stalks him (hilarious), and Eddie sometimes chases Shelby away from the precious laps (less funny).

Despite that Eddie will also track Shelby down if he gets stuck in cupboards (he likes small, dark spaces) and chase other cats away if Shelby gets into fights in the back garden.

Shelby will also sometimes bring Eddie mice (deeply disturbing, especially when they are still alive, but nice that he shares).

Eddie is my favourite thing in the world, and has completely changed my life, so I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate his little face, big ears and bug eyes.  Nothing to do with doodling or art.  Just shameless puppy post.

If you have doggies, share their stories below.  Also get in touch with your local animal shelter, you don’t have to adopt a dog to help out.  Puppies often need socialising, and volunteers are often welcome to come and play with them, to help prepare them for their forever homes.