Every dog has its day.

We are having a new addition to the family. Luckily it will not take nine month but she will arrive on Saturday. We have known for a couple of years that we wanted a dog and one day last month we saw this beauty that had just come into the care of the Roscommon spca. We went to have a look at her and fell in love. She is a lovely black mongrel, about five or six months old with a beautiful temperament. Because of her colour we decided to name her Dubh, which is Irish for black. It is pronounced similar to dove.

If you are thinking of getting a dog we can truly recommend getting a rescue dog. Often these dogs are not pure bred so less susceptible to problems and diseases. We are not sure what breeds are in Dubh, but we are sure you will agree with us when we say she is gorgeous. If you have any ideas what breeds she might be please write about it in the comments. We think she might have a bit of black Labrador, a bit of Grey hound or Lurcher and maybe a bit of Doberman.

When you get a rescued dog in Ireland the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals charity makes sure the dog is neutered or spayed, micro chipped and has had all its vaccinations and treatments for fleas and worms. The cost for all this amounts to about €250 but you only pay in the region of about €80 to €120 depending on where you are in the country. Of course you can make a larger donation if you feel so inclined. They also re-home cats. The only requirement is that the dog must live as part of the family, have an indoors bed and not be left in a shed or a dog run outside. Often these dogs have had traumatic experiences in the past and need lots of time, love and affection.

Dubh has been getting ready to move over the last couple of weeks and we have been getting ready to welcome her into our home. We have visited her several times, taking her for walks so she can get used to us and make the transition as smooth as possible. She is very intelligent and is a fast learner, already walking to heel and learning commands like sit and come.

We are very excited and happy to be getting a dog to share in our adventures and hope our cat will feel the same way. The cat was quite happy when we were looking after some friends dog for three weeks recently so we are optimistic. We had planned to wait a couple of more months before getting a dog as we wanted to be all finished with our extension, but who in their right mind could pass up the opportunity of having an addition like this to their family.