Sophie and Candy - A Tale of Two Dachshunds (Family Of Rescue Dogs Book 10)

Book summary

"Sophie and Candy - A Tale of Two Dachshunds" is a heartwarming memoir that delves into the author's early experiences with two beloved dachshunds, Sophie and Candy. With laughter, tears, and profound love, the book transports readers back in time, offering a poignant glimpse into Brian L. Porter's enduring devotion to his canine companions and the valuable lessons they taught about unconditional love.

Excerpt from Sophie and Candy - A Tale of Two Dachshunds (Family Of Rescue Dogs Book 10)

Sophie and Candy’s story begins all the way back in the 1990s. My marriage at that time was in the midst of breaking down and when my wife Benita and I first separated, our 13-year-old son Alan decided he wanted to stay with me, so the two of us lived together quite happily, for a time. He saw his mother regularly and things were going along as well as could be expected in the circumstances.

One day, after he’d arrived home from school, he suddenly asked me a question. It was a complete surprise to me as he’d never mentioned anything like this in the past.

“Can we have a dog, Dad?” he asked as we sat watching the TV together after our evening meal.

“What’s given you that idea?” I replied. “You’ve never mentioned anything about getting a dog before.”

“I’d just really like to have a dog, Dad. Please can we get one?”

I didn’t really know how to respond to his question. Was he serious or was this just a teenage whim that might be forgotten in a few days?

“I’ll have to give it some thought,” I replied.

A couple of weeks passed, and I honestly thought the whole ‘dog’ idea had gone away. That was until Alan arrived home from a visit to see his Mum, in his Mum’s car. Before she left, she called me to the car and said to me, “He tells me he wants a dog.”

“I know,” I replied. “He told me a couple of weeks ago but hasn’t said anything more about it.”

“Oh well, he says he wants a sausage dog.”

“That’s the first I’ve heard about it. He’s never mentioned a sausage dog to me.”

“Would you let him have one of if you could find one?”

“I suppose so, but we both know who’d end up looking after it, don’t we?”

“It’s up to you of course. It would be living in your house, after all,” she said.“I’ll see what I can do,” was all I could say at that point. I had no idea where I could possibly find a dachshund, just like that, to satisfy his desire for one.

Over the next couple of weeks, he kept on at me about the dog and I told him I’d do my best to find one.

One day, the phone rang.” It was Benita, Alan’s Mum. “I’ve been looking at some adverts, and guess what? I’ve found someone who wants to rehome two dachshunds. Before you have a go at me, I know you’re only looking for one dog but apparently these two come as a pair. They’re inseparable and the owner doesn’t want to separate them. I’ve spoken to the man and he sounds honest and sincere. Would you consider taking them? He doesn’t want any money for them as long as they are going to a good home.”

“I suppose so,” I replied, hesitatingly. “But why is he giving them away for nothing?”

“Seems he’s going through a divorce and his ex-wife doesn’t want them and he works long hours, so can’t give them the care and attention they deserve.”

She passed me a piece of paper with the man’s name and phone number written on it.

“If you think you can take them on, give him a call. There’s just one thing. He lives in Cheshire, but he says he’d be prepared to meet you halfway, possibly at a motorway services, if you want to take them both.”

After she’d gone, I was left with the distinct feeling that I’d been set up. I was sure my wife and son had plotted the whole thing and dropped it on me at the last minute. When I spoke to my son that evening all he could do was talk about the two dachshunds and before I knew it, I was picking up the sheet of paper and the phone and dialling the number of the owner of the two dachshunds. These were the days before mobile phones, and I pushed each button on the phone slowly and carefully as I prepared myself for the conversation ahead.

The phone was quickly answered, and I spent about thirty minutes talking to the man. He explained fully his reason for wanting to rehome the dogs, which just confirmed what Alan’s mum had told me. He came across as being very genuine and obviously wanted the best for the dogs. Seems he had a very good job and wasn’t interested in making money selling the dogs. He was just concerned that they would be going to a good home. I was able to assure him that we would really love and care for the dogs, and in the end, he said he would be happy for the dogs to come and live with us. We arranged to meet the very next day at a motorway service area on the M6 motorway. He said he’d bring the dogs’ bed, toys etc so we wouldn’t have too much initial expense, which I thought was very good of him, and of course, Alan was over the moon with excitement. I phoned Benita, to give her the news and she offered to come with us to collect the dogs and help us in whatever way she could.

Alan was so excited and barely slept that night. The next morning, we duly collected his Mum and began our journey, giving ourselves plenty of time, allowing for possible delays on the motorway. We duly arrived at the agreed service area, and a glance at my watch showed we were about twenty minutes early. Benita and I went into the services café and had a cup of coffee while we waited. Alan stayed with the car in case the man turned up while we were in the café. We did have time to finish our drink and we soon rejoined Alan, just in time to see a man walking along one of the grassed areas around the car park with two dachshunds.

“Look, Dad, there he is,” Alan shouted and together, the three of us walked towards the man with the dogs. Sure enough this was the man we’d arranged to meet and after initially introducing ourselves he introduced us to Sophie and Candy. They were two absolutely beautiful dogs. Sophie was a long-haired dachshund, with a gorgeous golden tan coloured coat, that the man explained was officially known as ‘red’ in the dachshund world. She was larger than I’d imagined, but of course I’d no idea how large or small a dachshund should be at that point. Candy was a beautiful standard black-and-tan dachsie, with a coat that looked so sleek, like a seal that had just emerged from the sea. The two dogs were obviously very friendly, as they responded delightfully with wagging tails as we said hello to the pair.

The man was clearly pleased to see that the dogs had made an instant connection with us and before long, Alan was sitting on the grass with the two dogs licking his hands and his face and rolling over onto their backs for him to give them a belly-rub. I must admit that I also fell in love with the two of them virtually right away and I saw no problem with us becoming their new owners. The man was also kind enough to give us enough dog food to last them at least a couple of weeks. I noted it was Pedigree Chum, together with a half-used bag of Winalot mixer, so he clearly hadn’t skimped on the quality of their food.

The journey home passed very quickly, (or was I perhaps driving a little faster than on the outward journey), and we seemed to arrive home in no time. On exiting the car, we led the dogs into their new home, first giving them time to explore the garden so they could go to the toilet if necessary. They’d been very well-behaved in the car, no barking, crying and no ‘little accidents’ in the back of the Rover.

We allowed them about ten minutes to find their way around their new surroundings and then we took them into the house, where we quickly found a place for their bed, a really nice, extra-large one, suitable for them both to sleep in. Apparently, they’d always slept together, so there was no need for two separate beds.

Benita stayed with us for a while until the dogs had obviously made themselves at home and then left us to it. Alan was so excited and couldn’t wait to show off his two new dogs, so I thought it would be a good idea to take them for a short walk, which would also give them a chance to begin getting acquainted with their new neighbourhood.

So, we clipped their leads on and cheerfully set off on our first walk together. I remembered the man had told me that Sophie wasn’t particularly friendly with other dogs, possibly from her instinct of being protective towards Candy, who she probably saw as her little sister, or perhaps she was acting like a surrogate mother towards the younger dog. I reminded Alan of that fact and told him to make sure he held tightly on to Candy’s lead, just in case we saw any dogs and Sophie began barking and wanting to protect little Candy. Thankfully, that first walk was peaceful and uneventful, and we returned home after about half an hour, and we then spent the rest of the day getting used to our two new family members, as they in turn began getting used to us. Later in the day, we took them for another walk, following the same route as before, wanting them to grow familiar with their immediate surroundings, and then fed them, a meal they polished off in no time, and our first evening was spent, together with the two dogs, relaxing, watching TV, and continuing to get to know them until it was time for bed.

Not wanting them to feel too lonely on their first night with us, we took their bed upstairs into my bedroom, and despite their short dachshund legs, both Sophie and Candy happily bounded up the stairs, into the bedroom and found their bed, and were soon happily fast asleep. Their first day in their new home had been a great success and I was more than happy that I’d agreed to become a ‘dachshund dad’.