To get a dog or not to get a dog was always a question that played on our minds when we were living in Hong Kong. We both have always wanted to have a new family member but living in an apartment in the big metropolis, we were unsure whether he or she would have a happy life. As soon as we moved into our new home in Tuscany we knew that it was finally the right time and place for us to get a dog. He or she would be loved by us and have a lovely home with plenty of space to play.
We had a lot of discussion over whether we should adopt and after a few failed adoptions, we decided to buy from a reputable dog kennel. We visited in May and seeing all of the happy dogs made us feel that we were in the right place. We knew that we wanted a labrador, they had new litter being born in a month’s time so that’s exactly fitted with our schedule. We saw a beautiful litter of labradors and we chose the biggest boy! Although we had to wait another month before we could take him home, our excitement couldn’t wait to get everything prepared for him. We set up our garden to be a safe and fun environment for him, we got toys, dog beds, food and we also started reading books about how to take care and train a puppy.
There was a long debate over what we’d name him. Angus is fan of Roman God names like Juno, but Scott prefers more fun dog names like Nero and Vulcan…you can imagine the amount of names being thrown in the air! When we went to collect our puppy to bring him home, we found out that his Dad is called Bond as he has a white patch on his chest. As our puppy has beautiful thick black fur, we came up with the name Tuxedo - Tux for short…but we wish we had chosen something easier for the Italians to pronounce. Tux's official pedigree name is Valdestra No Time To Die, so Tux seemed even more appropriate!
On the day we got Tux, we expected him to be scared or miss his Mum and family but we were surprised how easy he adapted into his new life with us. He was calm with us on the ride home, he was comfortable when we arrived home, he sniffed around and played with us straight away. We find it amazing how intelligent he is! After a short amount of time he already understood: ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘paw’, ‘bark’, ‘give’, ‘go find’, ‘stay’ and ‘kiss’. We are so proud of him! Tux is such a character, he loves to play with people but goes crazy with other dogs, he’s always up for a game of tug of war or wrestling. His favourite toy definitely the laser pointer as he never gets tired of chasing it, he can go on for hours! We are no reluctant to get it out, as when we stop he will continuous bark and moan for us to not stop.
Tux has some lovely furry friends, one of them is Willy, an Australian Shepard. Willy’s the dog of Michele, our farmer, they play every day together and Willy has watched Tux grow since he was only little. Lucky is our neighbour Sara’s dog, he’s a Border Collie who comes along on our morning walks to say hello, if he doesn’t see Tux in the morning he comes around to our place to check on him and say good morning! Tux has also made a long distance paw pal called Josie, our friend Ali’s dog. She first visited our farm in the summer for 2 months and they instantly got along, they played from the morning until the evening. They also had the chance to see each other in France over the winter where they enjoyed their holidays together in the snow - even though Josie’s a small French Bulldog she is fearless when it comes to wrestling with Tux!
On a recent holiday together with Michele in the French Alps, Willie and Tux had so much fun playing in the snow!
We are super happy with how social Tux is and how much he likes company from both dogs and people. He has brought so much joy into our lives and is the best company for Angus while Scott is away for work. When Tux isn’t eating or playing, you’ll find him sitting on our porch watching the pilgrims of the Via Francigena pass by, you might hear him too.. as he likes to let us know every time he sees someone walking or cycling down the road!
