Fiona is a member of our VIP (Very Important Paws) Team, and chances are, if you’ve ordered from Poppy’s Picnic, her warming Welsh tones will have called you to follow up and see how you’re getting on. Having never imagined having a pet, Fiona has recently adopted a Romanian rescue dog. In this second part of our four part blog series, Fiona shares her experience of adopting her new four-legged friend, Mabel:

I have decided to call my new rescue Mabel, and I can’t wait to meet her. She’s due to arrive any day now but i’ve been informed there have been problems with the travel arrangements. The wonderful ladies from Pawprints to Freedom Rescue drive many dogs at a time to their forever homes and it’s a long journey from Romania to Britain. Some of the dogs destined for faraway places, such as Scotland, have to be kennelled for the night and it takes a lot of organisation.

Mabel should have arrived yesterday. I had her bed ready, her treats out to welcome her and had filled her water bowl as I thought she would be thirsty from her long journey. I was working from home, slaving over a hot computer, a small cog in the great machine that is Poppy’s Picnic, with one ear constantly cocked, eagerly awaiting a knock on the door. About three o’clock, there was a sharp knock and my heart leapt. My office is upstairs and I nearly fell down the stairs in my haste to answer the door!

It was the lovely DPD man, delivering my first hamper of Poppy’s Picnic in its unmistakable packaging. I scuttled into the utility room to unpack all the lovely little trays and pop them into my specially-cleared freezer.

However, there was some bad news. My daughter, Luci rang to tell me that the transport van had broken down and that Mabel wouldn’t arrive until the following day. I must confess, I didn’t sleep too well last night from all the excitement. I got up early that morning and for the want of something better to do decided to clean the house! My Mum always used to say that cleaning was good for the soul and, crazy as it sounds, I wanted my house to be lovely for my girl when she arrived!

I knew she’d be smelly and probably undernourished, as there is never enough money for the Pawprints to Freedom Rescue to be able to feed all the dogs. They’ve raised sufficient funds recently to build their own shelter and are working on raising more to erect an outside compound so that the dogs can get some exercise and not be stuck in a dirty kennel.

So there I was, with Poppy’s Picnic Meatballs in the fridge awaiting her Ladyship’s delectation, when Luci rang to say that they are on the move.

Much kindness,

Fiona

If you have your own experience of adopting, we’d love to hear it. Please post on our Facebook page or email woof@poppyspicnic.co.uk to share your story.