As a kid growing up in the 70s, my thing was farm animal sets. Many hours were spent setting all my plastic animals, fences, barns and haystacks up on the pool table for an afternoon of creating my perfect farm. My brothers would burst in and start playing pool and shooting my chickens and piglets with the pool ball, only to destroy my fantasy world. I was the youngest of 7 and the only girl in the family, which taught me the powerful art of independence.
I hated dolls with a passion. They scared the hell out of me. But as for teddy bears and soft toys, we were best buds. I still have a couple of the original crew today, but dog only knows what I did with the rest of them. Most likely sent them all off to the Salvos when having a teenage moment and wanted to rid my life of anything childish.
My bedroom walls were plastered with posters and stickers of horses, and I'd hang out at the local saddlery store dreaming of 'what if?'. I cleaned stables and brushed horses at a nearby riding school just to get free rides on the horses.
I brought home stray animals regularly. Often they weren't abandoned. They'd simply wandered away from their own family. Who was I to know that, and who lets their dog leave their sight anyway? (If you read on, you'll find out this trait transferred to my adulthood!) The name "LambChops" comes to mind. A grey poodle I found at Centennial Park as a kid. There's quite a story behind that one! Make sure you ask me when we meet.
I remember every pet we had since I was a teeny tiny kid. Black Poodles dominated my childhood. Our first one, Patsy, was killed by a car... thankfully I was too young to remember the scene, or I've just blocked it from my memory. The second one, Kieron, lived until he was a very geriatric boy into my teenage years. He was the fierce protector of my Mum. Put your hand on Mum's leg, and you got a snap.
Dogs have always been a massive part of my life. I can't imagine life without sharing it with at least two, three or four.