It is heartbreaking when they die, so I had sworn I would NOT get another...
WICKLOW RESCUE DOGS AND THEIR STORIES
TAMMY CONNOLLY was heartbroken when her beloved collie Jack died last year at the age of 16.
He was the older of two in their Ashford home, leaving Willow behind with Tammy. She swore she wouldn’t get another dog. ‘It’s just too heartbreaking when they die,’ she said.
‘In April my daughter said we should just go for a drive and call in to Sharpeshill,’ said Tammy.
‘I insisted I was not getting a dog,’ she said. Over a year later, Jason has settled in very well to the Connolly household.
‘We went in and looked around. I saw this little four-month-old collie in a pen. He was watching us going around. He was calm, he wasn’t jumping up and down.
‘My eye kept going back to him. Whatever way he looked at me reminded me so much of Jack. I hummed and hawed, for about two seconds, and said finally feck it, I’ll take him.’
Every dog Tammy has had has been a rescue, with the exception of Willow. ‘I bought her because I wanted a dog to show,’ she said. Ultimately, though, she became a pet rather than a show dog, after they dabbled in that world for a brief period.
Willow tries to put manners on Jason, but according to Tammy, she gave it up ages ago as a pointless exercise.
Jason is playful, mischievous, and adores Willow. ‘ They play together out in the garden,’ said Tammy. ‘It’s lovely to see.’
The say the devil makes work for idle hands, or in Jason’s case, paws. ‘ The collie is a working dog. If I don’t give him something to do, he becomes self-employed very quickly.’ He has a fondness for digging up plants, so his owner simply doesn’t put plants in the back garden now.
She said that having had both a bought puppy and adopted one from the animal sanctuary, she found no difference other than you don’t know what the rescued dogs first months were like.
‘I think he went in as part of a litter,’ said Tammy. ‘He was the last to go. A person chose him but their landlord wouldn’t let them have a dog, so here we are, he ended up with me.’
Before bringing Jason home, Tammy brought Willow to Rathdrum to meet him. ‘She didn’t really react much at all, just glanced in his direction.’ It wasn’t the world’s worst start.
‘When I brought him home, she wouldn’t let him on the bed. He was clever enough not to push it too much with her. He would just sneak a little closer each time, eventually sleeping with his head on her. They’re great pals now.’
Tammy has three daughters, and seven grandchildren ranging in age from three to 14. The dogs are part of the furniture and the children love them. Jason, in particular, gets very excited when they are around. Willow, the more senior of the two, might make herself scarce after saying her hellos.
‘He’s very much a member of the family,’ Tammy said of Jason. ‘I call them my hairy babies! I have no regrets about adopting from Sharpeshill. You bring them home and nurture and train them. It’s an ideal solution when there are so many lovely dogs that need homes.
‘Something just happens when you look in the dog’s eye and you find a dog that suits you. I would highly recommend adopting a dog from a rescue centre – it’s a joy.’