My postings of the last few days may make you think that I have “fallen out of love” with DM because I’ve been whinging about Radio 4 being the best part of my day. The truth is it’s the fact that DM hasn’t been here that has meant I’ve been starved of intelligent conversation. You see, with the best will in the world, a conversation about whether or not the dogs want their tea, or go out or something to play with is, although charming, not all that stimulating. I have also “spoken” to disgruntled hens who’ve been REALLY narked with me about keeping them shut into their run because I have not been able to get home from Uni until 7pm any night (after dark) while DM’s been away and therefore they’ve been shut in for their own safety. I’ve had five minute phone conversations with DM each night and phone chats with my Mum & Dad but otherwise, nothing. No stimulating adult conversation at all.

However I have been firmly put in my place by JD who has let me know in no uncertain terms that I am second best. I’m OK to feed, exercise and provide services for him but when it comes to love, I very definitely have not got what it takes to float his boat. He has spent the entire three days sulking and skulking. This is as “friendly” as he has got – facing out into the room from the sofa and we only achieved that on day four in the morning before I collected DM from the station late in the evening. On previous days, he spent his time on the sofa with his snout into the back corner and his back to me, as far away from me as he could engineer and still be comfortable.

You see, I am just not good enough. I’m not seen as his saviour in his eyes despite the fact that it was me who prevented him from being taken back to the Dogs Home where we got him on the day after we took him home. He doesn’t know that I told DM that it wasn’t fair to him not to give him a decent chance when DMs heart was breaking with “second dog syndrome”. That, for anyone who doesn’t know is the syndrome whereby you lose your first dog (in DM's case Archie), you can’t bear the pain of an “empty” house so you go and get a “replacement” who sadly for him/her can NEVER replace the love for the first dog. I felt that way with Archie after I lost Toby and DM had it big-time when we got JD.

So, I have to face the fact that JD, who will have been here for three years next week, will never love me like he loves DM and when DM is not around, he’ll never be properly happy. Still, given that he was pushed around from pillar to post in the first two years of his life (4 “owners” in two years, four spells in the Dogs Home), I can’t say I blame him for latching on to a saviour. I just have to learn to accept that in his eyes, it’s not me.