Lily's Story, a shaggy dog tale - Episode 5 - A new home in Looe (an Original short story)
Lily is a Yorkshire Terrier x Apricot Poodle. This is a continuation of the story of how she has changed our lives.
This photo demonstrates Lily's radar ear! Her right ear brilliantly moves around missing nothing while the other stays down, it is very cute and funny, I wonder, does anyone else have a dog with this magic power?
Anyway, back to the story
We have decided to purchase a holiday cottage in East Looe, Cornwall. We are nothing if not gluttons for punishment, as every spare day of holiday we can take is already spent mending, gardening, improving, redecorating and advertising! We have found the most delightful cottage with the equally delightful name, TucTin. Lily takes the change of venue in her stride. We hastily unload the car and I walk Lily to the end of the famous Banjo Pier while Paul parks the car. If we are lucky the tide is low and Lily gets to sprint around the little doggie beach that gets uncovered by the lifeboat station, there is always a good washed up seaweed stick for throwing or chewing to micro pieces! One day as Lily races around the corner at the top of this doggie beach she almost falls in as the tide is so high there is not a single pebble exposed. Lily happily settles down in the cottage while we pop out for a curry and Kingfisher beers, an arrival night treat.
Tuc-Tin needs a new kitchen and bathroom and a total paint job but we decide that it doesn't need too much more. We have to saw up the old beds to get them down the stairs and we have several trips to the tip. Lily's chair is moved around the cottage as we do each room, she doesn't even get off it sometimes as we swing her through the doorway into the next bedroom.
Each morning in Looe we walk past the wonderful open sandy beach, over the steps at the end and onto the stony beach where dogs are permitted. I can't let Lily off until we get to the top of the steps as she would be on the beach 10 minutes before me as she flies along with the enthusiasm of the 'beach dash'. There are lots of dogs using this beach area so we have to be on the ball supervising. There is a boxer dog on the beach this morning. Luckily I saw the boxer from the top of the steps and have kept Lily on the lead. The boxer is a way off but I notice is heading our way in a big hurry. I pull Lily in close but I am not quick enough to get her off the ground and out of reach and she is screaming at the mercy of this big scary hound. He is wearing a harness which I grasp and it takes all my strength to haul him off Lily and hang on to him until the owner arrives breathless from the other end of the beach. No blood has been drawn thank goodness and Lily, although shaken, seems unharmed. The owner is very apologetic and later in the day I see the dog wearing a muzzle. My arms and shoulders are sore for a couple of days having put so much effort into hanging on to the powerful boxer.
My sister Ruth is probably Lily's favourite visitor. Ruth is happy to sit cuddling the diva Lily and doesn't mind Lily throwing her whole body in front of Ruth for constant stroking and attention. The week before our first Tuc-Tin holiday let is a hectic time and Ruth and Deb are on board to help out. With an eye for detail in the cleaning department Ruth is on the case for the final clean down. The guests are early and we have to send them away as we still have a building site in the lounge! Luckily they don't mind at all and are very happy to be the first guests. As Ruth, Deb and Lily finally head off to the beach cafe and I let Paul out of the back door, putting up a little clothes line after I have locked him out, the guests come in through the front door at exactly 3pm. We head to the beach cafe where we have arranged to meet the girls for Coke floats, never has one tasted so good. It is boiling hot sunshine and we are exhausted, in a totally good way. Lily is happy to have us back to full time Lily playtime!
We decide to walk from Looe to Polperro. A walk we have done a few times before. It is not a very hot day but sunny with wind. We haven't got very far along the coast path from Hannafore before Lily is looking very tired. We give her a drink but it doesn't really buck her up, As we are more than half way to Talland Bay we decide to keep walking on but we take it in turns to carry Lily. We are envious when we see a chap walking the other way with his dog in a backpack (what a good idea, must get one). At the cafe we have no phone signal but the kind woman behind the counter lets us use her phone to call a taxi. We are the laughing stock of the cafe and then of the taxi driver as we take our precious and unwell dog back to Looe by taxi. Back at the vets we discover it is the other back leg cruciate ligament that has snapped. On the X-Ray the vet can see that she has arthritis on her previously fixed leg. She comes home from the vets leaving us another couple of hundred quid worse off but fully repaired and even more bionic.
Please read the previous episodes linked below
https://steemit.com/story/@dodders007/lily-s-story-episode-1-the-rescue-an-original-short-tale
https://steemit.com/dogs/@dodders007/lily-s-story-a-shaggy-dog-tale-episode-2-learning-the-ropes-an-original-short-story
https://steemit.com/dogs/@dodders007/lily-s-story-a-shaggy-dog-tale-episode-3-holidays-in-an-original-short-story
Hi, I'm happy to know Lily.
Thanks bontonstory, I'm happy to know that!