MeghannMix: The greatest love story

DOGS. I only need to say the word and I can already see the smile forming on your face. The most loveable, selfless, caring, fun, entertaining and mood-raising companions. I’ve grown up with dogs all of my life.

My first pet was Fuschia, a tan and white shih-tzu. We got her when I was only a few months old and she a puppy. We spent every moment together in my playpen, mainly to shelter from my very active toddler brother, who had a fondness for WWE and saw us as components more so than baby sister and family pet. We bonded during the times of safety in our four-walled cave filled with toys.

When we travelled home to Galway at the weekends to visit family, Fushcia came. When we moved from Dublin to Spiddal, Fushcia was there. While she was a suburban house dog, she quickly adapted to the country life and sea air and went on her own little adventures around the fields of Baile Liam.

We moved to Ardrahan in 1999 but, sadly, Fuschia didn’t get to set paws in the new house with the fluffy carpets, fresh smell of paint and massive garden for digging and running. She did however, get buried close to our new abode so she will always be close to us.

Over the years I got a golden retriever named Charlie, another shih-tzu called Angelica, we had Tzunami the Scottish terrier and then my beloved sheepdog, Bella.

Bella was, like many sheepdogs, crazy. I’ve never known an animal to have endless amounts of energy, sheer adoration for a ball and the hours of entertainment she could provide for herself just searching, digging and roaming around the garden and paddock.

I often sat and watched her as she took to the grass investigating every blade and bush as though it was her first time seeing the place. The amazement in her eyes when she would find her ball, that she inevitably left there minutes previous. She led a simplistic life but everyday was filled with adventure and excitement, in that same space. All she wanted in life was the ball, my mother, stepfather and I.

The look in her chocolate eyes when my car came up the driveway, she knew the sound of my engine. The greeting I got as I stepped out of my car, I couldn't help but feel utter happiness.

When my mother would round up the hens to put them back into their hut at night, Bella would get to work. She would run around instinctively gathering up those feathered creatures ensuring they all made it safely from the freedom of the garden into the confines of their nesting home.

When my stepdad opened the back door, she would be ready to help him with any task - gathering timber, mowing the lawn, fixing fencing. While she may not have been particularly useful to him and was sometimes in the way, she felt exuberant taking on her roles.

She was protective and loyal, weary of strangers entering into her perimeter and cautious with people. We lost Bella in November 2021. My heart shattered into a million pieces. I felt completely broken.

When I look back on life with her, I realise that she saved me. I went through a hard time during my 20s, battling the demons of grief. She came into my life when I needed her most. She got me outside when I didn’t want to leave my bedroom, she had me exercising instead of lying on the sofa.

When I was drowning in sadness, she was my life jacket, when I couldn’t breath, she was my oxygen. When my heart was broken, she was my glue.

As years progressed so did my mental health. I grew to be resilient.

The darkness faded. I could stand on my own two feet again. It’s as though her work was complete. She saved me and then she let me go.

I’m so grateful for dogs because once I had a dog in my life, I would never be lonely, I'd never be sad and I’d always be loved.

Rogha na Seachtaine

WATCH: It has had rave reviews and is cleaning up at the box office. Oppenheimer is a movie starring Cillian Murphy and is directed by Christopher Nolan.

It’s a biographical film of the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist who was pivotal in developing the first nuclear weapons. In cinemas now.

VISIT: Ennis Town is a bustling place with so many restaurants, bars and independent boutiques.

For a shopping trip, day out with friends or a fun night on the tiles, it’s worth a visit and is only a half an hour from Limerick city with direct trains and buses daily.

Contact Meghann by email - meghannmix@limerickleader.ie