This is the second thing on my list of 40 things to do in my 40s that I have completed.

I have always wanted to rescue a dog. As a vegan, I am against puppy farms and breeding for money. Too many dogs are out there that need loving homes. I put this on my list of 40 things to do in my 40s, thinking I would be nearer 50 before I actually rescued a dog. I did not think I had the time or the space to fit in a dog of our own, and thought it would be too difficult with all the dogs I look after every day. (Rainbow Cottage Dog Services). We used to have Harry the border terrier, but he hated other dogs coming into his home so he went happily to live with my parents (over 4 years ago now). Harry was like my first born child and I loved him so much I didn’t think it fair on him to get another dog. And then, Motsi happened.

I was scrolling through Facebook and a post caught my eye. A plea for help for someone to take in a 10 week old spaniel that urgently needed a new home. I just had to help. I could not ignore the post. I don’t know why. I’ve often seen similar posts and just scrolled on by because I’ve known the time hadn’t been right. But this one I just could not ignore. I messaged the person and said I would help. It was a friend of a friend who was working for a rescue charity who was getting the dog and I had to wait for her to call me back. We spoke on the phone and she explained the situation to me. Because the dog was so young they wanted a permanent home for her and she needed to arrive tonight. I said yes. I had not seen a picture, I knew nothing about her, I didn’t even know what type of spaniel she was. I just had to help.

Leanne was in work so I text her to tell her the news, we were getting a dog. Tonight! I’m not sure if she was happy or not, I think she probably thought I was mad but knew there was no way to change my mind. I had already agreed to have her. I was so excited but also apprehensive. Could I manage a puppy as well as looking after 3 or 4 other dogs a day? There was only one way to find out. It was such a long wait, the day took forever. The rescue people kept me updated but they had to drive a long way to retrieve her and then drive back and bring her to her new home.

It was 10.30pm. Leanne had already gone to bed. Finally she arrived. It was dark and cold, three weeks before Christmas (2019) and two ladies came to the door holding the little bundle. They handed her to me and my heart just melted. She was so tiny. All I can remember thinking is OMG she is so small. They said she was 10 weeks old but the size of her was that of a 6-8 week old puppy. Leanne came downstairs, said hello to our new baby and went back to bed. I slept on the sofa with the little one as I did not want her to be scared. Poor thing must have been wondering what the heck was going on.

At the time of her rescue I was not allowed to put anything on social media for a few weeks because of the sensitivity of her case. Unfortunately I can not go into too much detail even now. She belonged to a very nasty man who may try to track her down (probably not now but at the time he might have). The police removed her from his care and they wanted her to be rehomed as far away as possible. She arrived with nothing of her own. The rescue ladies gave me some food and a couple of toys they had spare but the puppy had nothing. That soon changed. 

The following day we had to decide on a new name. This was difficult as we did not want to call her a name of any of the dogs we looked after, so that ruled out quite a lot. After much deliberation we decided to call her Motsi. After Motsi Mabuse on Strictly Come Dancing. The name just suited her perfectly. Little Motsi Wilson-Bowen. Now more commonly known as Mots, Motsi Moo Moo, Motsirella, Motsi Mabooby, to name a few haha.

Luckily in December it is a quiet month for Home Boarding, so we did not have any other dogs booked in at the time except for the couple of day care dogs each day. This gave us the opportunity to settle her in without it being too overwhelming for her. When it came to meeting the other dogs she was fearless and just wanted to play. She was so small compared to them all (and we only look after small dogs) I nicknamed her “The Little One”. 

Because she was rescued we had no record of any vaccination history so we had to start this when she arrived with us. This meant that she was a lot older than normal being able to go on walks. But I am a dog walker and did not want to leave her at home alone, so she came every where with me in a papoose. She absolutely loved bobbing along watching the other dogs run and play. Thankfully she was still so small otherwise she would have been too heavy to carry around every where. I think this helped her learn the ropes, because when she was eventually allowed to walk on the floor she just joined in like she had done it before. Her recall has always been amazing and she learns things really quickly. Toilet training was also pretty quick as she learned from the other dogs that were here. 

Three months later coronavirus struck the world and we went into a national lockdown. I was unable to work for a few weeks and Leanne could not go to work for 4 months. This gave us the perfect opportunity to spend a huge amount of time with our puppy (and each other) and really bond as a family. I think Motsi missed all her play friends but she had all the attention from both of us and got to enjoy lots of walks as this was the only reason we were allowed out of the house. During this time we were able to work on her training without the distraction of other dogs. As soon as I was able to do so safely, we started having dogs back for day care. Only one a day to start with until restrictions were eased further. Motsi loved it. She loves being around other dogs and playing.

We have now had Motsi for 3 years and she has turned into the most perfect dog for us. She is still really small and is half the size of most springer spaniels. We did wonder if maybe she was a cocker spaniel, so I did a DNA test. Turns out she is 100% Springer Spaniel. . She is obsessed with 2 things, her ball and food. She will literally eat anything! And when out on a walk she has to have her ball. She loves chasing it but is also happy to just trot along with it in her mouth. As long as she has her ball she is happy 🙂