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[JudyN]

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Hi all!

I'm Judy, and I have a deerhound x lurcher called Jasper. He's our first dog, and was a nightmare in his younger days thanks to a heady mix of sensitive sighthound genes and truculent terrier genes, but he has taught me so much and I love him to bits. He's in the front in the photo below, with his deerhound friend behind.

 

[Josie]

Hi Judy,

Thanks for your introduction! Jasper is gorgeous! Did you have him from a puppy? What made you decide on this breed type?

 

[JudyN]

Hi Josie - and thank you!

Yes, we had him from 7 weeks old. Long story short, my son, then 17, had social and general anxiety problems and we decided he could benefit from a dog. We settled on a lurcher because he liked the look, OH fancied a deerhound but at 5' tall I said that was too big, and because I have fibromyalgia and work from home I wanted a dog who would be quiet and snooze between walks and not drop a soggy tennis ball on my work.

But my son realised that if you walk a small (OK large) puppy, everyone will want to talk to you which isn't great when you have social anxiety. And having such a whirlwind of a dog, who also developed major guarding issues along with separation anxiety, isn't great for general anxiety either! So Jasper ended up being mine, and as we gradually built up the length of his walks, my own health improved immeasurably

My son ended up taking a year out to sort out his issues, went to uni, then got a job close to home and finally moved out two weeks ago. So we all lived happily ever after

 

[Josie]

Wow I bet he’s been a real learning curve! and yes I can just imagine your son heading out with a lovely puppy and getting stopped every few minutes!

I’m glad it’s all worked out now for you though

 

[Sezzy]

Hi Judy, I have social & general anxiety issues & I was at a real low point when I got my Sproodle Misty nearly 3 years ago.
I know what you mean with everyone wanting to stop & chat when you have a dog with you, but for me I have found it a real help as ‘dog people’ are always friendly & interested in what you have to say.
My baby has brought me back from a bad place & I couldn’t love her more.
Glad your own health has improved, dogs are our own miracle workers!

 

[JudyN]

They certainly are, Sezzy! My own social life has improved a lot too as I've got to know so many other dog walkers. Though quite often I only know the dogs' names and not the humans'...

 

[arealhuman]

Welcome to the forum I;m glad a four-legged friend was able to help you and your family - result! They look great too!