Arthur’s first month

Poet-in-residence Damaris West takes on a new four-footed companion

After my Italian rescue dog Galileo (mostly cocker spaniel) died of dilated cardiomyopathy, I vowed I would never have another dog. For one thing I’d be making myself vulnerable to a repeat of the tragedy. For another, a physical disability interferes with my ability to walk. But my doctor warned me against the dangers of becoming sedentary so I allowed myself to indulge in dreams of a new companion, having had dogs – often three at a time – for a large proportion of my adult life.

What dog would suit a pensioner with a Blue Badge? A cavalier King Charles spaniel came out top of the list. But they’re notorious for having heart problems and sometimes also breathing difficulties. How about a cavapoo, a cavalier crossed with a miniature poodle?

I was only looking, I told the friend who accompanied me to a licensed breeder near Glasgow. But it was no good. I took one look at a bouncy puppy – the only one who fought with the mop – and was smitten. He has the same colouration as the one-time Italian spinone who came to us with the name Arturo before we rechristened him, so I decided on a throwback. I called my cavapoo by the English equivalent – Arthur.

He’s actually three-quarters miniature poodle seeing as his father is a purebred poodle and his mother half poodle and half cavalier. This is designated an F1b cavapoo. If he’d been half-and-half, poodle crossed with cavalier, he’d have been an F1 cavapoo, and if both his parents had been cavapoos he’d have been an F2.

Being part poodle, his coat shouldn’t shed as much as a cavalier’s but on the other hand it will need professional grooming. He will hopefully have a poodle’s intelligence, but more energy than a cavalier, which could be a drawback!

The breeder delivered Arthur to me two days ahead of schedule but luckily I was prepared. He did his first puddle on the floor before she’d even left however he settled quickly. He just wanted constant human companionship. It was late in the evening so I didn’t feed him, but I sang to him and hoped he would settle in his crate. He didn’t. He howled unless he was on my lap. He finally fell asleep with the knowledge I was close by in an armchair. I got maybe four hours’ sleep that night and the same the following one.

Just like when looking after human babies, advice comes from all directions and is utterly contradictory. An authoritative Youtube video advised letting a puppy cry all night if needs be and investing in a good pair of earplugs. I couldn’t bear that. After he woke up crying I started letting him lie on the bed next to me for longer and longer periods until in just a few days he was spending all night there, and we slept eight hours at a stretch the pair of us, him because that’s what puppies do, and me because I was so exhausted with the “three p’s” – peeing, pooing and playing.

I loved our cosy nights, however an accident on the duvet made me think again. I returned him to sleeping in his crate, kept him company for two nights in the armchair, and now after a cuddle on my lap, I lift him in there and go to bed. I don’t hear him stir until 7.30 or 8.00 next morning.

Some people – some whole countries – frown on or even prohibit the use of a crate but I find it an indispensable asset, not least because in a small living space it allows me to clear up Arthur’s messes without him getting involved. He’s never objected to it. He’s in and out of it playing all day, dragging out the “mummy-scented” comfort blanket donated by the breeder and any chew toys I’ve put in to keep him amused. In fact he’s totally relaxed about our whole way of life. He spends a large proportion of the day curled up asleep between my feet.

House-training seems a long way off. The whole business isn’t helped by the fact that in my case I don’t have an enclosed garden and must therefore take him out on a lead close to the house. It took the patience of Job to wait for his first pee, which now comes automatically first thing in the morning, but after that he goes on a puppy pad as near to the outside door as I can get it. If I follow the protocol of taking him out every hour on the hour, he plays with bits of stick and generally ponces about till we give up, then relieves himself indoors as per his normal habit.

The rigmarole of vaccinations hasn’t helped either. I can’t take him for walks – can’t even let his paws touch the ground in any public place – until a week has elapsed after his final vaccine which has to be a minimum of four weeks after his first. It was the one element of puppyhood which took me completely by surprise because I was used to rearing puppies more than ten years ago in Italy, where everything was more relaxed.

After the first two of his three vaccines he’s been able to attend puppy parties where he’s met other puppies who are at the same stage of vaccination. And what a tear-away he’s proved to be, jumping into the arms of the other owners, tussling with the puppies, belting up and down corridors. He’s totally fearless, wants to meet everyone and thrusts himself at them willy nilly.

Although he’s now peaceful at night in his crate, in the daytime he’s likely to cry – scream I would call it – and fight the bars if I disappear from view in another room, or leave the house for some chore like taking the rubbish out. It’s a worry, because I don’t know if he’d settle after a while or continue to clamour. On the odd occasion when I’ve been forced to go out without him, I’ve so far engaged a neighbour to sit with him, but this is obviously not a solution for the long-term.

He’s strong-willed and smart. He runs like the wind and can dodge me through the legs of furniture, identifying routes I haven’t blocked if I’m trying to catch him. He learnt to play “fetch” almost immediately and after three weeks with me he’s very secure on the command “Sit,” although he becomes deaf to me when he’s excited by the presence of other people. The most useful command would be “Leave” when he grabs my slipper or my sleeve. His baby teeth are needle sharp.

So here we are. Just over a month in and with all the vaccines done but not able yet to go for walks. We can go to parks in a week’s time provided he keeps out of muddy water because his leptospirosis vaccine will take a further fortnight to be fully active. At that point there will be no restrictions and he will be able to go on the beach. I can hardly wait. His cute teddy bear features will draw admiration, I’m sure, and I’ll strike up conversations with other dog owners. After all, dogs are the ultimate ambassadors.