My name is Pip. I like chicken, and bacon, and sausage, and tuna, and chicken, and walks, and squirrels, and barking at the postman and anyone else who comes to the door, and bacon, ooh and cheese, I forgot the cheese. I also like belly rubs and squirrels and ear scritches and bacon.

 

When I was 5, my old family decided they wanted a better home for me. I was living with another dog who was not very nice to me! I don't know why, I'm really great! So my family decided to re-home me, as a Home-From-Home (whatever that is) through Holly Hedge. I met my new family at Holly Hedge and they gave me bacon, I love bacon, and they took me for a walk. They loved me straight away (of course, 'cos I'm great). I had to wait while they got their garden secure before I could join them furever and in the meantime I got taken for long walks with my new owner but stayed at my old house.

 

One day my new family came to get me furever, and I loved my new home straight away. There was no other dog! I was the only one! Bliss! That first evening while my new family watched TV, I slept next to my new mistress, ON THE SOFA, having my tummy scratched! They took me for a few long walks on the lead (leads are never long enough so I always pull). I was very good (I always am!) so after only a few days my new mistress let me off the lead, but of course I came back for the treats in her pocket. (I love treats, and bacon, and chicken). Sometimes I have to share my walks with 2 other dogs when my mistress wants to chat with her sister. I just ignore Hector and Holly (unless there's bacon, in which case I make sure they know who's boss)!

 

My new family take me for long walks every day, except when I hurt myself; then they take me to the vet. I DO NOT LIKE VETS. It says so on my notes now! But I still remind any vet I meet, every single time (just in case)! One time I got into a fight with another Jack Russell. I might have snarled first, but her brother joined in! It was very unfair, 2 against just me! I was limping after that so I had to go to see the vet (growls) and had to wear the doughnut of shame to stop me licking my wound.

 

One day I went to “the stables” with my family. I had to meet strange creatures called horses. Horses are big but mostly boring (but I quite like eating their poo; my mistress says “no Pip!” when I do though). I always want to stay with my mistress but she says I mustn't go into the arena; I learnt to stay out of the arena really quickly, because I'm a good and clever Pip! I like it best when the boring horses gallop around the fields as I can charge along with them! Horses are really fast, even faster than me! I like rolling in the mud, and poo, at the stables but I don't like being washed, so I stay well away from the hose at the stables, after the hot day when I got washed twice! (I think there might be a picture of me when I rolled in the gateway mud-dust after I got washed the first time).

 

Since I joined my new family I've learned so much stuff! I've learned to play with a ball and can do “sit and paw and high-five and spin and down and stay and roll-over”. If you have bacon I do them all, one after the other, to show you how brilliant I am, and then I get the bacon. I'm really good at guarding the roast chicken if it gets left on the side in the kitchen. I tell every family member where it is and I let them have some if they give me some too (I like chicken). I quite like fridges; they seem to have nice things in them, so I like to check out whenever anyone opens the fridge.

 

I love my new family (and chicken) and they love me. I know because my mistress says, “Happiness is a tree lined path and a scruffy little dog called Pip”, that's ME! Thank you Holly Hedge, for finding my furever home!

 

Love from Pip