Muffin – my first love

I’ve read so many tributes when people lose a beloved pet that I often wondered what I would write when I was in the same position.  Now that I am, I still don’t know what to write!  That’s probably why it has taken me so long to post anything.
 
Muffin (or MP as she was known on Blip) was the dog I had always wanted.  I was born wanting a dog but it took a few years to actually get to the point of owning my very own.  Muffin was a flat coated retriever and if you have ever met one, they are loving, licky, funny, enthusiastic, gentle, loyal, naughty, usually mud-covered and wet, affectionate, stubborn, stunning and exuberant. Muffin was all these things and she was a very special first dog with the most amazing deep, dark eyes and silky black coat. She would dive into water kamikaze style, empty a paddling pool before you could refill it, chase a ball till she almost keeled over, ride the waves at the beach, climb hills and swim for Scotland.  She loved her holidays in the Lake District, her week ends away with the gang, her trips to Crail and her days at the kennel where she dominated the paddling pool. She graciously ‘accepted’ the arrival of a new puppy a few years ago, exercising a huge degree of patience and tolerance!
 
One of her most amazing accomplishments was to survive a stomach torsion at the age of 21/2 and to go on to live till she was just a few months short of 12!  That’s a good age for a flattie. She was made of sterling stuff.
 
She was a real character and loved by all who spent time in her company.  
 
No doubt after I post this, I will think about lots of other things she did and was, that made her so unique, but I guess they will be my cherished memories that will remain special between Muffin and myself.