I have never had a dog. My dad had dogs when he was a boy and we grew up with stories of those different dogs, especially a spaniel called Digger and the amazing Sam who was a cross between an Irish Wolf Hound and a black Labrador.
However much my sister and I may have wanted pets we weren’t able to have anything larger than a budgie. I’m not sure we ever actually wanted a dog although as I mentioned recently I went through a phase of wanting a boxer dog… not seriously enough to nag my parents though, and also, living in a flat it wasn’t really possible..
As kids we went to holiday camps as children and were very lucky to meet another family who had children the same age as us. We became great friends, and after a few years of coinciding with the same week away on holiday at the holiday camp our families decided to get together at other times of the year.
We met at Easter; they lived in Nottingham and one year they came to stay with us, the next we went to stay with them.. The first time we went to Nottingham I was very excited because they had a spaniel called Rowan. Rowan was very old and a bit past playing with children bt I was very excited all the same!
We arrived Thursday night, in time for hot cross buns on Friday but really the four of us kids were looking forward to Easter Sunday and Easter eggs! We didn’t know, but the parents put all the Easter eggs in the back room.
How excited we were to come down on Easter Sunday for our eggs… unfortunately, Rowan had got there before us! He had scoffed the lot! Four kids and maybe three or four eggs each!! Rowan was in disgrace. I think in those days when chocolate was a treat and not a common everyday item it must have been a more grievous thing but I think we actually thought it funny.
We didn’t know then that chocolate was so bad for dogs! In fact Rowan suffered no ill effects apart from having to go outside more frequently than normal. Thinking back, I’m guessing that the chocolate in Easter eggs then was not as good or as pure as it is these days… but we didn’t know…
I’m sure it was all made up to us, I’m sure we had chocolate, whether Easter eggs or not, but I just remember naughty Rowan and the scraps of tin foil spread all around!
Lois Elsden 