Mum, Dad, my brother Michael: everyone in the family got more affection from our ridgeback-staffie cross. And guess whose bed she used to poo on…
I think the tone was set when Ella threw up over me on the way back from the Dogs Trust. She was three months old, rolling around on the back seat between me and my twin brother, Michael (we’d just turned seven), and wasn’t enjoying her first trip in a car. She could have been sick anywhere – over the seat, over the floor – but for some reason she decided to climb on to me first.
It was the start of a beautiful but strangely one-sided friendship. Ella, a ridgeback-staffie cross, was the perfect dog: playful, energetic, naughty and tolerant. She would let us poke and prod her without complaint, turn her ears inside-out or dress her up in T-shirts or the thick woollen poncho my Greek Cypriot grandma knitted her for the British winter. And she was endlessly loving, at least to the other members of the family. Me? Too often it was as if I didn’t exist. If Michael and I were sitting on the sofa, she’d bound up to him. If I came home after a day out with my dad, he was the one she’d jump at. If I tried to take her for a walk by myself, she’d drag her feet and insist that I fetch my brother.
To add insult to injury, about once a year she would do a poo in the house. Not just anywhere, though: she’d climb the stairs to my room and leave it in a neat pile on top of my bed.
I can’t pretend I wasn’t offended by Ella’s attitude – I loved her just as much as anyone. But it took me a while to realise that in her eyes we were both bitches fighting for our place in the pack. I read that dogs are 98.8% wolf, even yappy little chihuahuas. Ella was a definite she-wolf and my mother (she who opened the tin of dog food every night) was the undisputed alpha female. Ella could handle that fact, but she didn’t want to be the omega female. That was me.
Working out the reasons for Ella’s lack of sisterhood, understanding that her indifference was atavistic and not just casual, didn’t make me any less jealous of my brother, who always took great pleasure in the fact that Ella seemed to prefer him. But I resigned myself to the situation. And then one day (happy ending, anyone?) everything changed. I must have been 16 or 17, we’d been away for a fortnight in France, and when we got back it was me she ran up to first, whining and twisting with pleasure at seeing me again. After that it was like all those years of competition had never happened. We were best friends for ever, or at least for the couple of years she had left. Ella finally loved me.
She Used to Cry a Lot After Enduring a Lot of Pain BUT Now She Truly The Pride of Her Family.
Amber has arrived! This morning, a kind soul saw her in a ditch in Lancaster County, South Carolina, a gray beauty torn apart by hideous brutality. Amber’s face was a terrible mess of bruises, infected beyond measure, necessitating quick reconstructive surgery.
Her nasal canal was torn as a result of the cruelty she was subjected to, leaving her gasping for air. Her suffering was compounded by a broken jaw and displaced teeth, and her once perfect nose was now torn apart. Due to the severity of her injuries, the medical team had to sedate her to perform a CT scan, which was unprecedented in their experience.
Amber, who was just two years old, had her whole life ahead of her despite her small body and severe malnutrition. She was sedated daily for nearly five days as committed specialists worked tirelessly to give her a new lease on life. Amber’s face has been repaired and her nasal passages cleared as a result of their steadfast commitment, but the swelling serves as a reminder of her grief.
Her beautiful demeanor was unaffected, a monument to her fortitude in the face of tragedy. Amber showed tremendous courage and love as she healed and faced the hardships of heartworm treatment and sterilization.
She relaxed after a filling lunch and finally cuddled into her blanket for a restful night’s sleep. Today, she went for a walk in her new neighborhood under the warm sunshine with her new siblings, Jack and Alice, clear evidence that she has found comfort and security in her new home.
Amber would like to express her deep gratitude to all of her amazing friends who supported her journey, thought of her as she embarked on her path to a better life, and loved her unconditionally.
Ember’s adventure can be followed on Instagram.
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