Luna’s life of rhyme!

Luna has been with me for almost two years now, and finally, we’re starting to address the issues she has as a result of being abandoned three times in the 18 months before she came to live with me. She’s been beaten, used in fights and lived as a street dog, and although she’s the most loving dog, she’s also feisty, independent, and needs to learn some manners!

She started to finally settle with me when I brought her back to Spain in September 2020, after almost a year in England due to family matters and Covid. It’s like she suddenly thought, maybe I really HAVE come home now. Things moved further in the right direction when I was lucky enough to find Smart Dog Academy in Daya Vieja. Academy owner Teresa believes in making training fun and using positive reinforcement to build a bond of trust and co-operation between dogs and their guardians. She also runs private sessions for dogs like Luna, who have problems with distraction and trust, and she advised that this would be the best path to take initially.

Luna has clearly never been allowed to just be a puppy, due to her start in life, and she’s making up for it now. She sees everything as a game, and doesn’t think about respect for other people’s space or property. Like I said, she has no manners, and while she might be a female dog, she is nothing like a lady! Add snoring loudly and farts that could easily be adapted for Weapons of Mass Destruction, and you can see why I introduce her like this:

This is Luna, short for Luna-tic!

Several months of hard work and patience is finally paying off, and Luna’s behaviour has improved in ways I could never have dreamed of. However, despite her best intentions, she frequently goes off the rails. Luna being Luna, she doesn’t do things by halves either. She’s like the little girl in the nursery rhyme with the curl in the middle of her forehead. When she’s good, she’s very, very good, but when she’s bad, she’s horrid!

Luna came to me through an appeal of Facebook to take her in until a home could be found for her, and as such, she’s instantly recognisable in the area. Many of my Facebook friends follow her adventures, and one of them, Carolynn Barclay, wrote this lovely poem for her:

Luna

Luna and me, we got thrown together.

As soon as we met, I knew it was forever.

She’d issues galore, that I knew we’d to treat.

But I loved her so much, I wouldn’t be beat.

We headed to classes, training a must,

We struggled, we fought, we had to gain trust.

We’d to challenge the fact, she loved to chase bikes,

Skateboards and cars. Whatever moved! Yikes!

We give her a toy, and it’s destroyed right away.

But that’s no reason to tell her, she can no longer stay.

There’s none of us perfect, we all just need love.

I know that our Luna, was sent from above.

The joy that she gives me, and the love I get back,

More than makes up, for when she goes off the track.

We’ll get there I’m sure, as I never give up.

With the help of my Angels, I’ll have the best pup.

At the beginning of the first lockdown in March 2020, Carolynn started writing poems every day to pass the time and lift her own spirits, and those of her readers. A year and 600 rhymes later, Carolyn has published her first book, My Life of Rhyme.

Carolynn has a real talent for getting to the heart of the matter and making you smile, think, cry or all three with her verses. When, a few days later, I posted about Luna’s weekend off the rails, she wrote another one. The strain of being a Very Good Girl had clearly got too much for Luna to bear, so first of all she bisected the new hosepipe – which we’d had to buy because she chopped the previous one into three pieces. Then she decided as the weather was getting warmer, we needed open-toed slippers. Finally, she decided a bird who came into the house would be fun to play with, so she picked him up and took him down to the garden with her other toys. Unfortunately, although she was very gentle and never made a mark on the bird – she really did just want to play – it died of fright. It’s little body didn’t have a mark on it, but 25 kilos of Staffie cross charging round the garden was just too much for its heart to take. After giving the poor bird a blessing to speed him into the next life, I reported the weekend’s shenanigans, and quick as a flash, this came back:

Ok Luna, enuff’s enuff.

You’ve taken it all too far.

We’re working on the skateboard issue,

And even the chasing cars.

But, chewing a hose pipe?

Oh, come on. That really is not on.

Youve plenty toys to amuse yourself,

But no. My hose pipes gone.

Don’t get me started, on my footwear.

When the hospipe game was done,

You went and chewed on half a slipper,

Now I’ve only one!

But worst of all, was the poor wee bird,

Although, you only wished to play.

Unfortunately, he didn’t that memo get,

Now he won’t see another day.

R.I.P. poor wee bird.

Lunas energy, suddenly soared.

There’s nothing for it, Sandra, take a breath,

It’s back to the drawing board.

Yes, Luna’s a handful, but she’s also a beautiful, loving soul who has endured so much yet still holds love in her heart for everyone. She’s very much worth the effort to tame her hooligan streak. And when it all gets too much, I have friends like Carolynn to help me see the lighter side. I am truly blessed with my friends – and yes, with Luna too!