Cottage life with Errol and Chance, Part I

Errol’s story

Errol joined us as a five-month-old puppy just before Christmas 2019. He had been returned to the breeder with, what was thought to be, an eye infection. I knew the breeder and she contacted me to say she urgently needed to rehome him. So I got in the car, picked up this tiny little dog, and then went to pick my husband up from his work’s Christmas party. My very tall husband then met the tiniest dog he’d ever seen. Love at first sight, of course.

As the weeks progressed, his eye did not improve. Since we’d taken him on with an eye infection, the eye was not covered on insurance. We soon learned that he was going blind in that eye, and it began to get worse - more infections and a lot of pain. The vets did all they could to save the eye, even though he was blind in it, but the infections did not recede so, eventually, he had the eye removed at Vale Referrals in Gloucestershire. I cannot praise them enough; they did such a wonderful job and Errol has been a lot happier and more comfortable ever since. We were also - very kindly - supported by our wonderful social media followers, who helped pay for the surgery. It was lockdown, I had been made redundant, and we could not have helped Errol without all those kind souls who offered to help him.

During lockdown we also learned more about his health issues: a scan revealed a boot print beneath Errol’s damaged eye: he had clearly been kicked in the head - you could see the damage on the image. This explained why that eye had not grown properly, and why his remaining eye didn’t have a properly functioning tear duct. He also cannot moisten his own nose and has acute rhinitis. The root of all his troubles has to have been that head injury.

During lockdown he started have strange staggering incidents, like he couldn’t get his balance. This deteriorated into full-blown seizures. He is now on medication for epilepsy and this has reduced their recoccurence considerably. So he has his challenges but he nonetheless lives a very happy life, and finds joy in every moment. He is such a sweet, dear soul. In another post I’ll tell you more about our care regime for him, and what it’s like to care for a dog with such medical needs.

Chance’s story

Ahh. Our darling goofball. Chance joined us in May 2022, as a rescue from The Dog Meat Trade Dachshund Rescue. This amazing charity saves dachshunds from the most horrific conditions imaginable. I’ve never shown my husband the initial photos I saw of Chance, shortly after he was rescued. Such a sad, skinny boy. But their rehabilitation and care of him - like all their dogs - was truly astonishing: Chance loves every human he meets and has only love to give. Like Errol, he’s one of the happiest, funniest dogs I’ve ever had the privilege to know.

Like Errol, he has his health problems too: Irritable Bowel Disease, caused by poor diet. He also has problems with his joints. But we manage this (and I’ll blog on how we care for a dog with these issues soon too). One of the finest days of my life was watching Chance meet Errol. From the very first moment they met they have been ‘brothers from other mothers’ and adored each other. They are inseparable! More to come on their adventures together soon…