Puppies

Illustration by Leigh Sinclair

You may not have seen much of Simon and myself this past week. We have been a little obsessed at gazing in wonder at the litter of little puppies born to our miniature dachshund Juniper.

We have had Juniper for four years. She is much loved by all the family and is often seen at Wright’s usually barking at intruders (otherwise known as customers) or throwing herself at the familiar staff and customers with yelps of glee.

But since becoming a mother she is calm with eyes only for those small sleepy little pups relentlessly grooming and suckling them and sorting them into rows of sausages.

It does give you a warm glow of ridiculous pride to see such unconditional love and patience as it must be hard work looking after tiny puppies. It also puts our own challenges into perspective - or is it just a distraction?

After another week of uncertainty in the hospitality industry and debating yet again how we should trade this time until Christmas and beyond, normally one of the busiest times of the year for all in the hospitality industry, maybe the arrival of puppies has come at a perfect time?