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After always having a dog in the family home when I was growing up and then not having a pet of any type for years and years, I was asked to ‘look after’ a three year old Border Collie by a friend of mine.
He’d just split from his partner and had moved into his sister’s for the time being and unfortunately there wasn’t any room for ‘Millie’.
The thought of a dog under our (mostly) tidy house wasn’t something Mrs H and I had thought about. Then there was the possible attatchment between my youngest son (11) and Millie to consider.
However, we agreed to give Millie a bed for a week or so and see how things panned out.
Well, six months later and we are now known as “the outdoor family”! Getting a dog has changed lots of things for us as a family.
So, whats this got to do with a recovery forum…?
Quite a lot actually. I remember coming across someone talking about recovery and this stuck in my head because of it’s simplicity. “I didn’t get clean to spend the next 20 years lookin at the four walls of my flat.”
I’m not saying that purchasing a Border Collie is Dave’s answer to the recovery debate, but what I am saying is that recovery should be a balance between utilising and tailoring your support to suit your needs and doing something that:
Balance that lifestyle and bloody well ENJOY your recovery, after all, it’s yours!
Anyway, must dash… gotta take Millie out.
Hey…
Thanks… i’d love to get a dog… but my landlady wont let me… so instead i borrow my friends daughter every now and then (i know that sounds wrong)… but i get to do all the fun stuff with her and her mum and dad… or just me and her daughter… we go to see kids films at the cinema… and just generally goof around… i have such a laugh when she visits..
It my excuse to act like a kid again… not that i need an excuse… but there are less strange looks…
I also find she grounds me… especailly if i am having a hard time in my recovery… she simpifies things… as children do…
Would love to get a dog though :o(
Balance, I’ve heard it said that it’s what we addicts see briefly when we flash through it as we rollercoaster from one extreme to the other. So hard to get hold of and keep.
Hope your collie helps you do that.
Spot on Dave – Recovery should be about having a fulfilled and meaningful life.
I think it can be quite easy to stagnate in recovery – you go through the initial stages where your main focus is on staying clean/sober, and it can get to a time where there is not much else going on in your life.
It’s so important to try new things, meet new people and generally broaden your horizons in any way which you feel comfortable with – and some times you have to step a little bit outside the comfort zone and see what new opportunities come your way!!
Dave – I love the positive impact that Millie has had on your life and your families lives – and great to hear that you are enjoying life so thoroughly!!
Wow a collie they are a lovely dog.I saw a merle collie one with a sandy coloured coat and amazing eyes the other day.Ive always had salukis thats lurcher hunting dogs and commitments have meant unfortunately no dog at the minute.My last one went to live in a house right on the beach when I started university,its a dogs life well for that one it really was.
I love reading stories like yours I hope Millie brings you many happy times.
