Its official, last Saturday – the 23^rd of February – marked my beloved Romeo’s first birthday!

For those of you who have followed my journey since last year, you’ll remember I got a new toy poodle in March and he has since been featured in my blog as “the love of my life”. Romeo has been the subject of many social media posts by his proud mummy and now I can’t believe he is already one!

I got Romeo during a very sad period in my life. It’s safe to say that in many ways Romeo saved my life. He has been a companion, a friend and he loves me unconditionally as I love him.

There is no greater gift in life than that of a furry companion. They’ve been proven to be good for boosting mental health and releasing happy endorphins. They promote a sense of calm and wellbeing. They provide a ray of sunshine even on the gloomy days. And like I said, their love is unconditional.

Coming home to Romeo jumping up and down, shaking from head to toe with excitement to see you again is honestly the most beautiful feeling I’ve ever experienced. Before you’ve even crossed the threshold, you’ll hear him squealing with excitement and scratching at the front door – that is if he hasn’t already stuck his head out the front window to greet you with a wagging tail.

Romeo likes to jump on every human being that steps foot in our home. But he wouldn’t hurt a fly. He just like the attention. All he wants is for you to pick him up and give him a hug. Then he’ll calm down immediately.

Sometimes, Romeo likes to stick his head out the front window and bark at every human and animal that walks past his house. Like I said, he’s not dangerous, just very territorial and if you’re not coming in to say hello, well serves you right!

Now if Romeo is nowhere in sight, you might want to go out the back and have a look around. He’s often getting into mischief digging holes in the dirt. If you’re missing a random item such as a shoe or a dustpan then I suggest the first place you look is Romeo’s bed and then out the back in the middle of the yard. He’s a little thief!

“Dirt?…. What dirt?”

Romeo and our cat Muggles actually get along like buddies. While the two of them are polar opposites – Romeo friendly and full of beans while Muggles is more subdued, apathetic or indifferent – they still often play with each other from time to time. By that I mean Romeo chases Muggles and Muggles tolerates him until he gets cranky and takes a swipe at him.

“Well if he’s sitting on Papa’s lap then so am I!”

Buddies lounging about.

But probably one of the funniest things that Romeo does is attack our foot stools. We have an old kiddie step that lives in our bathroom and I can tell you that every time we enter the bathroom (which Romeo will most definitely follow us into), without hesitation Romeo has to flip the step upside-down, bark and growl at it. He does the same thing to the other step that floats around our household. I don’t know what it is about steps and whether he doesn’t like them or he’s just playing, but I swear it’s the funniest, most bizarre thing you’ve ever seen.

So thankful to have this wonderful creature in my life to fill me with joy and comfort every single day. To smother me with kisses and cuddles in the mornings. To play chasey and fetch with the family.

Happy birthday Romeo. Here’s to many more years to come!

“Just helping decorate the Christmas tree”