Mum, Dad, my brother Michael: everyone in the family got more affection from our ridgeback-staffie cross. And guess whose bed she used to poo on…
I think the tone was set when Ella threw up over me on the way back from the Dogs Trust. She was three months old, rolling around on the back seat between me and my twin brother, Michael (we’d just turned seven), and wasn’t enjoying her first trip in a car. She could have been sick anywhere – over the seat, over the floor – but for some reason she decided to climb on to me first.
It was the start of a beautiful but strangely one-sided friendship. Ella, a ridgeback-staffie cross, was the perfect dog: playful, energetic, naughty and tolerant. She would let us poke and prod her without complaint, turn her ears inside-out or dress her up in T-shirts or the thick woollen poncho my Greek Cypriot grandma knitted her for the British winter. And she was endlessly loving, at least to the other members of the family. Me? Too often it was as if I didn’t exist. If Michael and I were sitting on the sofa, she’d bound up to him. If I came home after a day out with my dad, he was the one she’d jump at. If I tried to take her for a walk by myself, she’d drag her feet and insist that I fetch my brother.
To add insult to injury, about once a year she would do a poo in the house. Not just anywhere, though: she’d climb the stairs to my room and leave it in a neat pile on top of my bed.
I can’t pretend I wasn’t offended by Ella’s attitude – I loved her just as much as anyone. But it took me a while to realise that in her eyes we were both bitches fighting for our place in the pack. I read that dogs are 98.8% wolf, even yappy little chihuahuas. Ella was a definite she-wolf and my mother (she who opened the tin of dog food every night) was the undisputed alpha female. Ella could handle that fact, but she didn’t want to be the omega female. That was me.
Working out the reasons for Ella’s lack of sisterhood, understanding that her indifference was atavistic and not just casual, didn’t make me any less jealous of my brother, who always took great pleasure in the fact that Ella seemed to prefer him. But I resigned myself to the situation. And then one day (happy ending, anyone?) everything changed. I must have been 16 or 17, we’d been away for a fortnight in France, and when we got back it was me she ran up to first, whining and twisting with pleasure at seeing me again. After that it was like all those years of competition had never happened. We were best friends for ever, or at least for the couple of years she had left. Ella finally loved me.
Brave Mother Dog Jumps and Sacrifices Her Life To Protect Her Poor Cubs Under A Falling Tree
When it comes to the power of motherly love, no one can deny the extent to which a mother will go to protect her progeny. This is notably true in the animal kingdom, where maternal instincts are essential for survival. One such instance of this can be seen in the narrative of a mother dog who sacrificed herself to save her offspring in front of a fallen tree.
In this endearing tale, a mother dog and her young puppy were out for a walk when they came across a fallen tree obstructing their path. The infant was too small to clamber over the tree, and the mother dog knew that she had to find a means to assist her little one. With no other options available, the mother dog made the ultimate sacrifice and settled down on the ground, creating a makeshift bridge for her puppy to traverse over the tree.
As the infant made its way across the mother’s back, the weight of the little one proved to be too much for the mother dog, and she was unable to get back up. Despite her immense agony and discomfort, the mother dog remained in the same position until assistance arrived. Her altruistic act of love had saved her puppy’s life, but it had come at a tremendous cost to her own.
This tale is a testament to the power of motherly love and the extraordinary extent that a mother will go to protect her young. It is a reminder that love knows no bounds and that the bond between a mother and her child is unbreakable. The mother dog’s sacrifice is a genuine example of the unconditional love that exists between a mother and her progeny.
At its essence, this narrative is about selflessness and sacrifice. It is a reminder that true love means placing the requirements of others before your own. The mother dog could have easily left her puppy behind and continued on her way, but she knew that her child’s safety was more essential than her own. It is this kind of selflessness that makes the bond between a mother and her child so special.
The power of motherly love can be seen throughout the animal kingdom, from canines to lions to birds. It is a force that is genuinely awe-inspiring and has the ability to move even the hardest of souls. This story of the mother dog and her puppy is just one example of the myriad acts of love that take place in the animal kingdom every day.
Leave a Reply