DELILAH
Ed Creasey
Pooh Sticks Bridge, Water Meadows
70 x 45 cm
Delilah is very lucky to be our dog! Firstly, my wife Chloe doesn’t do pets. Never had a pet as a child, didn’t want a pet. Meanwhile, I had grown up with a house full of animals and wanted our children Theo and Phoebe to have the same relationship with dogs that I had experienced.
So, what to do? Full nuclear was the only option – Andrex puppy (aka Golden Labrador). I did a pincer movement with my Mum, who lives three doors down from us, and she convinced Chloe to go and see a Labrador litter, with the plan for both to get a puppy. Chloe called me and said: ‘we are just going to look’, and I asked: ‘are you taking the kids?’ She said they were, so I replied with complete confidence: ‘we’re getting a puppy.’
As expected, Theo and Phoebe fell in love immediately. They each chose a dog, ours to be named Delilah, Mum’s to be named Gertrude. However, Chloe didn’t like the look of the one the kids chose, so when she went to pick them up she swapped the puppies and Lilah, as she’s affectionally known as, arrived in our life in January 2018.
She became the fifth member of our family. Phoebe was a little nervous with this beautiful blond puppy but Theo, our youngest, immediately fell in love. He thinks he’s a dog and she thinks he’s a dog. She puts him to bed, he uses her as a pillow. Phoebe got used to her and being an early bird like me would often join me walking Lilah on the Water Meadow or Blenheim at 6am. Special moments.
Chloe tolerates her, which is progress.
Lilah is wonderful with humans, particularly children. She used to have a great relationship with other dogs, but sadly was attacked three times so is a bit wary. This does, however, lead to a very funny situation. Her sister, Gertie, is a ‘town’ dog and is well known to the male dogs of Woodstock, who often mistake the two. When I am out with Lilah in town, they often sidle up expecting a friendly response and get the full alpha female treatment. Bless them! They look very confused at the response, which is a look I relate to! Whilst she is a bit grumpy towards other dogs, she loves Nicola and Simon Lacey’s dog Rosco, and Simon and I walk them together most weeks. Lilah just knows when we are meeting the ducks at 7am and drags me all the way there.
She is a proper country dog. Every day she’s in the River Glyme. Our favourite walk is along the water meadow to Stratford Bridge, where she leaps around like a slightly overweight gazelle, through the reeds and the marshes, in and out of the river. With the pandemic trapping me in my executive shed every day for over two years, our bond became even closer. I am convinced she understands every word I say to her.
The photo here on the bridge over the River Glyme is very appropriate. It’s where we play Poohsticks (me and the kids, not the dog). It’s where Lilah swims. One day her sister Gertie was struggling in the water, and she dived in to save her… but landed on her head! Which actually made the situation worse, but it was sweet nevertheless.
On her first trip to Cornwall, she discovered the sea. She entertained the whole beach by giving me the runaround for 45 minutes. However, she loved the sea too much and broke her tail. A very sad sight indeed!
We wouldn’t and we couldn’t live without her, even given the moulting, the disgusting taste in food (from smoked salmon to sheep poo), the disobedience and her grumpiness towards other big dogs. She loves little dogs, she’s a dream with children, a fabulous house dog, a great guard dog, the world’s worst squirrel catcher and the best companion I could ask for.
Ed Creasey