List 15: reasons why I love Jasper

Jasper is my dog. He is from a rescue centre. He is 11 years old. You can read more about him here. 

1. when he is annoyed about something (which is a lot of the time - his nickname is Victor, after Victor Mildrew!) he makes a noise in his throat that sometimes sounds like he is trying to talk in a really grumbly voice. It never fails to crack me up!

2. when he walks around you can hear his claws clicking against the wood floor, and it's my favourite sound in the whole world.

3. if he feels he is not getting enough attention he puts on a fake kennel cough to try and attract sympathy from those not in the know. At first we thought he had somehow caught kennel cough, but when we took him to the vets they informed us there was nothing wrong with him and he was just faking it. Gotta love a dog that uses amateur dramatics to get cuddles.

4. he likes to wake me up in the morning with a big sloppy kiss. And by kiss I mean lick. Who needs an alarm clock when you have a dog with a bad case of halitosis?

5. every evening when I get home from work Jasper dutifully unpacks my bag for me, taking out every item and carrying them to the other end of the room where he lays them out in a row. I have no idea why he does this, it isn't exactly helpful (especially when he wanders off with something in his mouth, usually my oyster card, and then I have to try and guess where he's hidden it.) But it's so cute, and he does it with such a sense of duty that I don't have the heart to tell him to stop!

6. he loves wool as much as I do. Although in a very different way. While I love to look at, and crochet with, the wool I buy, Jasper likes to rip it into tiny pieces. We don't see eye to eye on this matter, which is the reason why he is officially banned from my craft room.

7. he's a dab hand at unwrapping presents. Just don't let him under your tree at Christmas. He is prone to such levels of excitement that he is unable to distinguish between wrapping paper and the present inside.

8. car journeys are always more fun when he's around. A car ride with the whole family is pretty much Jasper's idea of heaven on earth, and his excitement reaches levels I would never have believed possible. He leaps from person to person (bearing in mind he is 11 years old and suffers from bad joints), distributing licks and tail wags, trying desperately to sit on my Dad's lap which is very unhelpful as he is the one driving.

9. he owns a ladybird costume, and he is not ashamed to wear it (in the house.)

10. he is my best friend and a constant comfort to me. I know it's corny to say that about a dog, but it's true. In my saddest moments he has sat with me, head on my lap, for hours on end. When I've had a bad day he always makes me smile.