Lifestyle

Harold Has Changed My Life for the Better

I talk about Harold a lot. A ridiculous amount. Basically I treat and talk about him like he’s my child. Casual browsers of my instagram captions probably think I have a child and/or husband named Harold. I don’t. I do have a fabulous dachshund whom I love with my whole heart. 

For all the years that Sam and I lived in London, whenever he’d ask me what I want for Christmas or my birthday, I would jokingly say “a puppy”. It was semi tongue-in-cheek, as I wanted Harold so much, but I also knew that as renters of shoebox flats in London with long commutes, we wouldn’t be allowed to have a dog by our landlord and nor would it be fair to the dog to make him stay inside alone so much. 

It’s an honest fact that one of the things I was most excited about when we moved to York was the fact that we could have a dog. The properties have gardens, for the most part. Sam would be working from home. And when I was at work 99% of the time, I’d have time to pop back to our house at lunch time to take Harold out if Sam couldn’t. It was one of the most ideal set-ups for dog ownership. The only thing holding me back from my puppy dreams was that our rental contract specified “no pets allowed”. We took a punt and contacted the landlord and pleaded our case, and he took a £100 damage deposit and happily approved of my dog dreams. Harold hasn’t damaged anything (apart from Sam’s cardigan buttons and one Macbook charger) so I can’t wait to get that £100 back soon.

Having Harold in our lives was completely different than I expected but not in a bad way. He makes travel slightly more difficult because we have to think further in advance about what we’ll do if we can’t take him. And on adventures that we do take him on, those require a bit more planning too. (Mostly because he travels with more luggage than we do! And we have to plan out doggie rest-stops when we are driving.) But he’s an absolute angel in the car and I can’t wait for our Scottish Highlands road-trip with him this summer. 

Side note: we are planning on taking two days to drive from York to Inverness, looping around and going via Glencoe and Skye. We are also planning on camping so if you have any great recommendations for beautiful picturesque sites along that route send them my way! 

What I never predicted was just how much I would love Harold. I knew I’d love him because he’s an adorable little woofer, but I love him protectively and I always have his well-being bouncing around my mind. When we were looking at houses to buy, one of our criteria was definitely “would Harold be happy here/ is there a good space for him.” 

Doctors say that petting a dog for just 15 minutes releases the feel-good hormones serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin, and lowers the stress hormone cortisol. Owning a dog is also linked to better cardiovascular health, and lower blood pressure. And I definitely can vouch that it’s true. As someone who struggles with anxiety, an evening cuddle with Harold makes a world of difference to my mood. 

Harold doesn’t sleep with us as he has his own bed downstairs, and my favourite time of day now is shortly before we go upstairs to bed. We call it “family snug” and Sam and I cuddle Harold together. It’s wonderful. No matter what the three of us have been doing that day we came together every evening for it. I can’t believe I lived so many years of my life without it.

He’s become the focus of my attention in so many great ways. He’s our new best friend and having Harold around makes our house feel fuller and more like a home. From minute to minute be brings so much joy because he’s always doing something adorable or hilarious. It might seem silly, but it really makes Sam and I feel more like a family. 


Why Dachshunds Must have Pet Insurance


The most worrying thing about owning a dachshund is that they are prone to a terrible inflection called IVDD (intervertebral disc disease). Dachshund’s are particularly susceptible because of their long backs but it can affect other breeds as well. Their little bodies have discs between the vertebrate – sort of like jelly-filled donuts, that act as cushions between the vertebrae. IVDD is when these discs deteriorate (calcify/harden), wherein they become susceptible to bulging or bursting – especially with hard impacts (jumping off a couch, steps, rough play, etc). A dog is most likely to suffer from IVDD between the ages of 3-7. So I live in fear of it. 

That’s why a lot of dachshund owners don’t let their dogs up and down stairs, have ramps for them to go onto the sofas and show you how to properly pick up their dog. (I promise I’m not just being an overbearing knob when I say you can’t pick Harold up that way and show you the proper way to hold him – it’s all for the safety of his back.) IVDD requires spinal surgery. It would be irresponsible, expensive and frankly, foolish, to own a little doxie without having pet insurance. Sam and I shopped around and found that Petplan Pet Insurance was the best match for what we needed. 

The second we had Harold an insurance policy, it really did feel like a weight had lifted. 

I will now proceed to show you gratuitous pictures of Harold. Look away now if you do not like adorable puppies. 



harold curled up on bridge in kelvingrove park
sam petting harold
me petting harold me and harold
harold the sausage dog in joules bed
Harold the mini sausage dog staring
Harold in flowers
harold and I
Harold near the ouse
Harold sniffing
Harold

If you want to follow more of Harold’s adventures, I hashtag him #Haroldthesausagedog on instagram. Tell me your favourite pet story! 

***This post happens to be sponsored by Petplan, but I 100% promise that they were our actual Harold insurance company for months and months before this collaboration was even dreamed up. This post was in collaboration with Petplan but all opinions are forever my own***

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: 

Please welcome….
1 month as puppy owners
3 months as puppy owners
Dog walks along the Ouse 

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