The Dood

It's Tilly's 4th birthday and I wanted to write a little blog post about our gorgeous goldendoodle. If you know me personally, you know that I'm a little obsessed with 'The Dood' and I would literally do anything for our dog.

4 years ago we were surprised with a trip. My brothers, sister and I had no clue where we were going and so we were incredibly surprised when we arrived at a house with a small herd of goldendoodle puppies. It's taken us a LONG time to convince my dad to get a dog and so we were shocked that we were there to look for our puppy.  This tiny little ball of fluff came straight over, climbed on my lap, snuggled in and fell asleep straight away and I knew from THAT second that she was mine. What I didn't realise is how much that tiny little doodle was going to change my life and make me experience a love I never thought was possible.


4 years ago I was still super poorly, I was struggling badly with my mental health, I was continuously feeling low and rubbish and mixed with the anxiety of university on the horizon the year after, I wasn't myself. I don't think without Tilly I would have made it to university at all. Having this little puppy that I was with all day long, that relied of me to take her out and train her gave me something to work hard at and feel proud of. I became more confident and started talking to people who would stop us to talk about Tilly. The days begun to feel less like I was continuously fighting my depression and anxiety and instead I was happy and beginning to feel calm. I did however really struggle with separation anxiety when I had to leave her because she really helped me feel better and not having her close by would really stress me out. Even leaving her for an hour to go to the supermarket made me want to cry at the thought of leaving her.

Moving away to university was tough. I didn't have my sidekick next to me. My little safety blanket that would calm me down when I was anxious or come snuggle me when I was crying and depressed. I didn't know how I was going to cope and admittedly the first year and a half or university was extremely difficult. But I learnt that although she helped me in my recovery, I could now look after myself too. I went away to university feeling happier and calmer than I had done in years. It was difficult not having her there but I learnt the tips and tricks I need to now function on my own.

This dog is the best thing that happened to me in my recovery and I am so insanely grateful for such a wonderful dog. She is an amazingly smart, patient and sweet goldendoodle. She loves snuggles and being around her family. Tilly is amazing and we are so lucky to have such a fantastic dog. She's always there when you need a snuggle and has spent countless times just snuggling me whilst I cried. I love having her snuggled up at the end of my bed, snoring away as I get things done on my computer and the unconditional love that we share is unbreakable. I would do anything for my dog because she's truly remarkable.

Happy birthday doodles!