2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
‘With two dogs and three cats, plus four children, my house is total chaos, but I wouldn't have it any other way' – Jennifer Whitmore on her rescue pets
The Social Democrats TD wouldn't part with her rescue dogs and cats, but highlights the need for better animal welfare
Today at 21:30
With two dogs and three cats in residence – not to mention four children – my house is total chaos, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It's wonderful for children to have pets around; each of our kids has their own go-to pet and that's lovely. You can learn a great deal from being close to animals and our lot definitely bring so much to our lives.
Our oldest dog Bobby is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. We don't really know his backstory because he was a rescue dog, but we think he's 17 years old now. It's a great age, alright, but he has always been a very relaxed dog – when he first arrived with us when he was young, he was only in the house a few days before he was very well acquainted with the sofa. He totally took over! We also have Daisy now. She was three when we got her from Wicklow Animal Welfare.
She's a lovely Llewellin Setter – like an English Setter – and she is such a baby. She didn't have a good start in life because she was kept outside in a horsebox all the time and used purely for breeding purposes. I'll never forget how she looked when we first saw her – she was so sad. Poor Daisy; she'd never had a puppyhood. Well, she may be five years old at this stage, but she's having it now!
As if the two dogs aren't enough to deal with, we also have the cats. Teddy Blue was rehomed with us from the North, and then we also got George and Lizzie. They're all great cats but George in particular seems to get loads of attention – my husband adores George and even Daisy the dog is besotted with him. Daisy just sits there, staring at him; you'd love to know what she's thinking.
We have a house full of pets but I didn't have any at all when I was growing up in Wexford. When I lived in Australia for 10 years or so, my husband and I did have two indoor cats but, to be honest, owning and looking after pets has been a great new experience for me. There's sadness too, of course. We had a Golden Retriever called Holly and she died about three years ago; it is so heart-breaking when you lose a pet.
There are some very serious issues around animal welfare in this country. It's a big problem and we need to introduce proper reform. There are far too many dogs being bred here. Just look at the rescue centres – all of them are full of beautiful dogs that have just been dumped. As a society, we really need to get our act together.
When it comes to my own pets, I'm lucky; they bring so much to my life. I just love just sitting quietly at times and snuggling with them. It's actually quite meditative. Bobby is happy enough these days with a short walk along our road but Daisy loves going to the beach for a run.
Yes, my house is certainly chaos with the dogs and cats all mooching around, but I wouldn't be without a single one of them.
As told to Roslyn Dee
