Last updated: 28 Oct, 2020
Published on: 28 Aug, 2012
Where there’s a Will, there’s a way to find happiness
“The second one from the right looked like a chirpy inquisitive chap, and when I clicked on his photo I fell in love there and then!” exclaimed Emma. “Having talked my soon-to-be husband Mike into the idea of getting a dog, I called him straight away and when he checked out the photo something must have tugged at his heart strings too. He told me to go ahead and ring SAFE to find out more about this little chap.”
Four days later, Emma and Mike arrived at Perth airport with some hastily-purchased puppy paraphernalia and a name already picked for their new puppy – William.
“We reached into the crate and pulled out the smallest, happiest little dog we’ve ever seen,” recalled Emma. “Within just a few days I could feel the positive difference William had made to my outlook on life, and hoped that coming to our home was a pretty fantastic thing to happen to him too!”
Emma, Mike and William threw themselves into training and socialising with great enthusiasm and earned their Canine Good Citizen Certificate before William was 18 months old.
“He really seems to enjoy being asked to concentrate and perform. His only terrible terrier moment was in the ‘give up a toy’ test when he chose to ‘hang on for dear life’ instead of dropping the toy,” laughed Emma.
Having been told William has great potential, Mike is eager to take on their next challenge in mastering agility. But for now, Emma is happy enjoying the many ways William’s affection has helped make her feel better.
“He gives me focus by having another little being that’s dependent on me, and he shows great gratitude for that care,” said Emma. “Of course, I have the support and love of my wonderful husband too, but with human relationships you can question yourself. With a little dog like William, there’s just something so affirming about the way they interact with you that says, ‘you’re the most important person in the world to me.’ It makes me feel that I’m worth something on days when nothing else does.”
One day, Emma and Mike would love to give William some baby brothers and sisters of the human variety, but for now they’re very happy being a family of three.
You can help us keep saving pets too, by making a donation to our rehoming programs. It costs just $10 to match one of our rescue pets with their new family.