SKYLA
Suzannah Jackson
Old Woodstock fields woodland
21 x 29 cm
Our little ball of fluff became a part of our family in November 2020. My husband Ben had never had dogs before but having grown up with two enormous German Shepherds and two Labradors myself as a child, it was inevitable another
dog would be coming into our lives at some point. In fact, it would be a travesty to allow our son Charlie to grow up without the love of a dog in the home.
It had never been fair or the right time to introduce a dog to the family before due to work commitments, but lockdown saw a change of circumstances and a new lifestyle business for me which made room for the four big paws that came bounding into our lives. My son and I had promised my husband Ben that we were only going to ‘look’ at a puppy but how unrealistic was that! As soon as we saw her, we were smitten. We scooped her up into the back of the car where she slept on Charlie's lap all the way home. I called Ben and asked him to look for a cardboard box in the garage as we had not got as far as to prepare for her arrival. He thought we were joking! But when we came home with that warm cuddly pup in our arms, even he began to grin.
We’ve never looked back, except of course when she's jumped up at strangers scaring them half to death during her ‘training’. If a little dog jumps up they get away with it, but a guard dog breed requires careful handling. Why on earth didn't we get a cockapoo?
We learnt that Skyla (meaning scholar in Dutch) was in fact a German Shepherd and Belgian Shepherd (Malinois) mix. Traditionally used for combat and security, we had a job on our hands and she can still be overly protective in the home and reactive to some other dogs, cars and strangers... we’re continuously working on it! But as she nears two years old now and restrictions have lifted, we are able to socialise her more and more and she is calming down as she matures.
So, what has Skyla the scholar taught us? Well, she is continuously teaching us to expect the unexpected. She keeps us on our toes. She reminds us to take time out and to get outside daily come rain or shine, and we will always come back feeling more present. She’s allowed us to explore mother nature’s wonderland of tracks and trails, which had previously been a secret, and appreciate the natural beauty we are lucky enough to be surrounded by. She’s taught us to trust our own instincts and the importance of building trust with one another to get the best out of our relationships. To be fearless and resist judgment – we all have a story that makes us perfectly unique. Most of all, her unconditional love and loyalty opens our hearts completely.
Lockdown tails…
We are extremely grateful for the surprising opportunities the unprecedented and curious times of lockdown has given our family. Like many people, we have been forced to pause, regroup, slow down, re-evaluate our purpose and question what is important in our lives. We have made room for another being in our hearts, home and lives. We have appreciated connecting with our community – there’s nothing better than a dog to walk to meet neighbours and make new friends even during a pandemic. I have also been fortunate enough to make a leap of faith into a dream career, nurturing a desire to find value in everyday by helping others through the challenges of life.
And Skyla has been by our side throughout all of this, keeping us active, distracting us with her craziness, and connecting and comforting us by her cuddles on the sofa.
She’s also Charlie's best mate, Ben’s confidant and therapy throughout challenging times and my running partner and fur baby. Even Cosmo the cat has grown to accept her presence – he's still the boss of course!
Skyla is not the quietest of beasts though and her instinct to guard is very apparent as she patrols the boundary fence of our garden backing onto the park in Old Woodstock. She accepts the noise of children playing, having been accustomed to this her whole life, but a strange voice or vibe and she may as well be on a Special Forces mission. One night her barking sounded particularly ferocious and it was directed at our neighbour’s flat roof. Ben looked up only to see movement from two shadowy figures disturbed in their attempt to break in. The burglars fled, closely followed by Ben and a bark. Skyla had saved the day and redeemed her reputation with the neighbours at the same time. Her instinctive job is to protect her home and her family with her life. We certainly feel safe with her around and our neighbours have an added security alarm too.
Suzannah Jackson