Meet Salvador...

This lovely creature is my Golden Cocker Spaniel, Salvador.

The first scary car ride home...

Salvador was a bit of an impulse addition to my family...Growing up with enough pets to fill a decent sized plot of land I felt the need to have a dog for many years after moving out of the house. The final straw was when my neighbors (whom I live on a farm with) was losing some of their house mates and therefor their two dogs and we needed another dog to keep the remaining dog company. This was enough reason for me to immediately start looking for puppies online. I found a suitable batch very quickly, went to view them and Salvador(then called Bull due to a bit of a weight problem caused by him snatching all the food...)caught my immediate interest and the rest is history!

His puppy years were relatively easy to deal with. When bringing a puppy home your best friend is consistency. Know that all pups need to go to the loo after a meal and after a big sleep and if you establish this routine early on you are well on your way to having a dog with good toilet habits. 

Salvador, aged 3months

From the beginning I took him everywhere. I wanted him to be able to socialize well with humans and dogs alike - I even remember taking him to restaurants and trips to the shops. I wanted to have a constant little companion and that is what he has become, although he is a dog of many duties!

Every day I have had him has been extremely happy and we've had some very interesting times the past year(realizing his favorite place to pooh is in the main walk-way of the weekend market; literally scaring a duckling to death by simply barking at it, putting up with four very inquisitive kittens and their less than dog-friendly mother), but it has also been pretty crazy and tough(I promise you, although it is worth it, getting a dog is like having a child, organizing play dates and babysitters and all!).

Salvador's angry face, aged 4 months

I decided to write this blog - with the help of Salvador, as a little diary of his life and in doing so we can maybe help out other first time dog owners, because even though I've had other dogs before, I have never had a dog that I was totally and solely responsible for. I bought him, I need to feed him and if he has to go to the vet I better be sure that money is coming out of my wallet!

So here starts the many Adventures of Salvador!

Salvador in Hermanus, aged 10 months