Creative writing submission from the Rest Less community – submit your entry here.
Ever since Arthur came to me as a seven-week-old pup, he’s loved having his photograph taken, showing off for the camera, sitting and posing naturally without any reward needed.
He’s always taken full advantage of the fact that he is both beautiful and, as a Shiba Inu, he was also very rare when I first brought him home 15 years ago, so he attracted enormous amounts of attention wherever we went.
A couple of weeks before retirement, I took him to school with me every day, meaning that his socialisation was fully established by the time he was 10 weeks old and, as he’s come everywhere with me, he’s loved the attention of humans ever since.
I’ve captured our life together on film from the very beginning and he and I have produced his own Christmas card and calendar for myself and friends every year for 15 years, joined by Ila (perhaps not quite so keen) when she became part of our family at five, in 2013.
We try to theme most of our photographs so that they are relevant to the month, taking them to sit in the Christmas sleigh at the garden centre in December, in front of carved pumpkins and a witches broom in October, playing in the snow in February, and surrounded by bluebells in March.
Sometimes though, as the photos and opportunities change each year, for some months it’s simply about picking characterful snaps. Ila basking in the spring sunshine eyes half closed or Arthur, cosy and sleeping soundly in his favourite, upside-down yoga position on his bed.
The key is, whatever the picture, they should look their best! Clean, well groomed, smart collars and not – as my friend sometimes says when she brings her Shiba to me for a groom; “looking like she doesn’t have an owner” as Shiba’s shed heavily twice yearly – looking like the moth has been at every inch of them.
Well, this morning I was sitting on my kitchen stool coaxing the baby boy to eat his breakfast (the dementia means he doesn’t eat so well these days) when I glanced up at the calendar to see what I was up to next week. Instantly, I was horrified. How could I have let my baby boy down so badly, how could I have missed it? Normally so conscientious, I could feel Arthur’s eyes following mine and could see him preparing to reach for the local RSPCA phone number.
Bad mother, I thought, could he report me for neglect? Without a doubt! For there, obvious once seen and never to be ignored again was Arthur looking magnificent last June – but with a cheek tuft! Yes, I’ve admitted it, there for all to see, unplucked, was a classic white piece of fur fluff sticking out of his right cheek, spoiling the perfectly rounded, symmetry of his perfectly proportioned cheek pads.
As well as weekly grooming, we Shiba owners are constantly running around after our four-footed friends, plucking out large tufts of downy, white undercoat, as they pop out like brush heads, unbidden from bottoms, trousers, flanks, and faces always just after hoovering or after having been given a good strip at pelt time. It’s part of our job!
Now, I’m not making excuses for myself but it is never-ending and though the breed books refer to a twice-yearly pelt as they shed their undercoat, any owner will be quick to comment: “Yes, twice a year for six months at a time!”
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved the grooming considering it as ‘our’ time together. It’s wonderful bonding time and is the perfect opportunity to handle every inch of their furry bodies, making sure they’re fit and healthy and I’ve never tired of it. Not so the hoovering I confess! Some days with the two of them in full floof, I’ve been known to hoover the whole house three times in one day but that’s Shiba love.
Anyway, looking at Arthur’s picture for September, I felt deeply ashamed, like I’d let him down in some way. But, before I could beat myself up too much, I felt Arthur rest his chin in my hand, a paw on my knee.
Looking down at him, he was studying me, his two coal, black eyes sparkling at me and, instantly, he gave me a Shiba smile and a little, laid-back tail wag. Endorphins rushing, I felt calmed, my baby boy reminding me that between us, there is so much more than the odd, unplucked, unkempt tuft of neglect.
I knew he had seen it, possibly like me for the first time but he was at pains to brush it off, to tell me that I could let it go and that whilst I may have slipped from my usual high standards, he had forgiven me. Oh, the pressures of the Shiba Inu owner. But, still…what I learned this morning from my furry friend is that, after all, love surpasses everything, even a rogue cheek tuft, and harmony has been restored.
Are you feeling creative? We are proud to have a hugely talented community on Rest Less, which is why we’re so excited to open up a section of the site dedicated to showcasing the wonderful and diverse writing of our members. If you have a piece of creative writing that you’d like to share with the Rest Less community – you can do so here.