As I wandered down one aisle of the indoor market at the Barras, my eyes darting between knock-off trainers, flasks commemorating the wedding of Charles and Diana, dismembered kilt clad mannequins and everything in-between.
But it wasn’t these oddities, hilarities or straight up cool bits of history (if that flask didn’t come with a three-figure price tag, you had best believe I’d be drinking coffee from it) that were catching people’s eyes.
As he paraded proudly up and down the market, I noticed people smiled at him before they looked at me.
There were ‘awws’, there were many ‘look at him’ exclamations and I lost count of the folk just stopping me to give him a clap, secretly disguised as a conversation about the weather.
I’ve never owned a dog before – but that doesn’t mean I don’t adore them.
As much as I loved it, there is no denying it can be hard work looking after a pet.
Chucking it down outside? Tough, you still need to go a walk. Dropped a bit of something on the floor when you’re cooking? It’s all systems go to get to it before they do.
It takes time, effort (and money) to look after a pet and look after it well, but that’s not to say it isn’t worth it. You just need to be prepared.
We all know the saying that pops back up at the festive season – ‘a dog is for life, not for Christmas’.
So many people dive head first into pet ownership, not aware of the mental, physical and financial undertaking it can be.
You only need to scroll social media or buying and selling sites at any point to see people quite literally giving away animals, saying they’re ‘too expensive’, ‘too much work’ or ‘too disruptive’.
For anyone who is thinking about getting a pet, I think it should almost be mandatory to dog sit for a period of time: speak to a local shelter about fostering or ask friends if you can borrow their dog for a while to get a feel for it.
It’s not as easy as belly rubs and throwing a ball, it’s a big undertaking that isn’t fair to you or the animal if you’re not prepared.
But, thinking back to last week and the way people’s faces lit up as Ripley lay down for them to rub behind his ears or he sat embracing all the attention and fuss, there’s truly no denying that dogs – or indeed, pets – bring an immeasurable amount of happiness to so many.
They also offer excellent companionship: experiencing the joy he brings to me and to others, there’s no denying the saying that a dog really is a man’s best friend.
But friendship is a two-way street – you just need to make sure you can commit to being their best friend too.
Kitchen trinkets tell a lot of stories
I have finally concluded: I actually like magnets.
I’ve spent a very long time thinking they were a rotten souvenir, opting to bring back loved ones something edible or practical (my granny has a well-travelled pen collection) as I always thought magnets were something people slung in a drawer, never to be seen again.
But since moving into my own place and not having a fridge to place them on (it’s behind a cupboard, sadly), my oven hood has taken on a bit of a starring role when it comes to displaying little glimmers of travels or fun.
Now every time I stand at the hob making dinner, I glance up and see Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s smiling face; a momento of her excellent gig in the SEC Armadillo last week.
Or I smile as I see a souvenir I bought on my first solo trip abroad, a small reminder of a fun time.
I love making a B-line to the fridge in a friend’s kitchen (not to get a bottle of something from it, although that’s good too) to admire the many magnets, photos and snippets of their life that the surface offers.
Every small thing on there has a story behind it and sentiment attached – it’s more than just a bit of plastic with a country emblazoned on it.
It’s a memory, and I’m embracing it.
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