Page 23 of Happily Never After
‘I was thinking probably the day-dog option. I think she’d prefer to be here overnight.’
‘I assume that there would be someone in the house at night-time to look after her?’
‘My flatmate Liv, yes.’
‘Perfect. So, with the day-doggy option, you have another choice. Either your flatmate could drop her off here before work and collect her afterwards or, for a small extra fee, we could collect her and bring her home.’
‘And what happens during the day?’
‘We have a number of activities for the dogs, depending on what they like. They’re encouraged to socialise with each other and we walk them in pairs. There are areas for play where we provide stimulating toys, as well as rest areas for them if they want some downtime. There are always humans on hand to supervise and also reassure where necessary. If you want to come and have a look, that’s something we definitely encourage. What’s your dog’s name?’
‘Meg.’
‘Bring Meg along too. We offer a free taster session so you can see how she fits in and we can check there aren’t any red flags from our side.’
I hadn’t considered that there might be an issue on their side. ‘What kind of red flags?’ I ask.
‘I’ll be honest with you,’ Donna says. ‘Doggy Daycare isn’t for everyone. How is Meg around other dogs?’
‘She’s generally fine. She likes a sniff and then moves on.’
‘Probably not an issue then. Some dogs are very anxious and can get aggressive around others. We tend not to accept thoseones, not because we can’t handle them, but because it upsets the general atmosphere. We like happy dogs here.’
I’m finding Donna very reassuring and, by the time we disconnect the call a while later, I’ve agreed to visit with Meg in a couple of days.
‘I think I may have found a solution to the Meg problem,’ I tell Liv as we’re sipping a cup of tea later that afternoon. Thankfully there are no treats from the pâtisserie today; I haven’t dared weigh myself lately but I can definitely feel the effects of her baking in the tightness of my trousers.
‘Oh, yes?’ She’s only half listening, as she’s flicking through one of the trade magazines she loves at the same time.
‘Someone called Donna. She runs a daycare centre for dogs, a bit like a crèche. She sounded really nice, so we’re going to have a look in a couple of days. Want to come?’
‘It’ll have to be an afternoon. Flat out in the mornings,’ she says listlessly.
‘I thought of that. I booked us in for four o’clock on Friday.’
‘That could work. I’ll ask Bella to lock up.’ She finally moves her gaze from the trade magazine to glance down at Meg’s head on her lap. ‘Auntie Liv needs to make sure naughty Mummy isn’t sending you to some horrible hellhole, doesn’t she? We don’t want you all traumatised.’
‘It’s not a hellhole. It sounds really nice, actually. They’ll even pick her up and drop her off if we want them to.’
‘Hmm. That’s probably so we can’t see the pound she’s going to spend all day locked up in. Have you thought of that? It’s like boarding school all over again. When you’re looking around, it’s all sunshine, roses and “of course your child’s welfare is our top priority”. Then, no sooner have your parents turned out of the driveway than it turns into a Victorian workhouse.’ She turns to the dog again. ‘Don’t worry, Meggie. Auntie Liv has plenty ofexperience and can smell out a rotten boarding school from a mile away.’
‘Liv!’
‘What?’
‘This was your idea, remember? You’re not being helpful right now. Plus, I’m pretty sure you said your schools weren’t that bad.’
‘You’re right. They were fine, actually. Sorry, I didn’t mean to guilt trip you.’
‘Is everything OK?’
‘Yes, fine. I think I’m just having one of my existential crisis days. Nothing to worry about.’
‘Do you want to share?’
‘It’s not very interesting. I’m sure you have days where you wonder whether your life is going in the right direction, don’t you?’
‘What’s brought that on?’
