A cool city dog

Our little terrier as a puppy

I’m so impressed how our little border terrier has adapted to city life. When we moved up to London from the sticks a year ago, he’d been a country dog for all of his life. He was born only half a mile down the lane from where we lived; he’d hardly spent any time on the lead; he rarely met other dogs than those on the two neighbouring farms. He’d never been to a city before we brought him here to Hampstead. And he was not a young dog either – he was seven when we moved.

Now, only twelve months later, he walks nearly perfectly on the lead (as much as a border terrier ever will); he doesn’t think every person and dog on the Heath is his friend; he comes when he’s called – eventually. I’ve even managed to teach him how to stay with me off the lead when crossing the road, and to sit when I’m taking him on and off the lead. The power of doggie biscuits!

What’s more the terrier who used to disappear across the fields chasing after a deer (we often wondered what he would do if he actually caught one) now doesn’t even bother running after a stray pigeon.

At the Yuppy Puppy on Finchley Road

Plus our butch little terrier has even go used to the doggy parlour. Only once did I have to collect him early when he got rather amorous with a young lady poodle…