Southern In Law: Happy 10th Birthday Chanel!

10 years ago, a teeny tiny little puppy was born.

Little did I know, just a month and ten days later, I'd be sitting at home hanging out with a friend only to have my parents walk in the front door and say the words they didn't know would have such an impact;

"We nearly bought a puppy today"

Those words triggered something in my Pa. He lept up out of the chair he was sitting on at the dining room table, ran to his room and came out with money, telling my parents they needed to go back there right this minute and buy that puppy.

Why? Because it was my 16th birthday in a few weeks and he was determined that he would buy the puppy I'd so desperately wanted.

Next thing I knew? We were all loading up into the car. Myself, my sister, my friend, my parents - all off to buy that mystery puppy.

I was seriously overwhelmed. I'm one of those people who doesn't like people spending money on them ever. But a puppy?! That was a pricey gift - and the weight of it wasn't lost on me.

We walked up to the pet shop (and yes, I know... at the time we were oblivious to why you shouldn't buy from a pet shop - Trixie is from a breeder), hoping that the mystery puppy would still be there.

And there she was. A tiny little white, black and brown puppy snoozing with her white scruffy brother.

My parents explained that they wanted to buy that little bunch of fluff and they quickly unlocked the door and handed her to me.

Those doubts I was having about the price? Gone. She snuggled into my chest and wouldn't let me put her down and I was sold.

Before I knew it, we were leaving the shopping centre with the currently nameless puppy snuggled against my chest with a blue puppy by her side.

Within a few hours, she had a name - Chanel. There were a few contenders for puppy names - but after calling name after name to her in the backyard, she started jumping around like an excited maniac as soon as I said Chanel, coming running over to me like a little bouncy bunny.

And for the last ten years? She's been my best friend!

A fluffy, snuggly best friend who has the sweetest soul - and a few bad habits too (but hey! We all do... and I guess a dog sucking their foot is like a baby sucking their thumb?)

One year old Chanel

Chanel in December last year

And whilst that sweet puppy is really cute, she hates having her photo taken and will hide the second she sees me with my phone or camera.

I think she's probably training me for what my future children will be like....

But we still get cute photos here and there.

Funnily enough, we rarely even call her Chanel (unless she's in trouble) because she has so many different nicknames.

Noodle, Nelly, Chanoodle, Noodie, Noo, Noodle Poodle, Belly - the list goes on and on.

And don't even think you can get away with entering our house without Chanel coming running to the door with one of her beloved soft toys in her mouth.

There's Uni the purple unicorn from Hawaii, Cookie the frog, Puppy the (you guessed it!) puppy that is her current favourite - and even a random potato toy amongst her treasured collection.

And whilst she totally hated when a little black and brown ball of fluff (not that you could tell she was ever black and brown now!) arrived onto the scene, her and Trixie are completely and utterly inseparable - and so cute!

Pretty incredible, considering it took us three weeks to convince Chanel the tiny ball of fluff wasn't out to kill her 🤣

Happy Birthday to our Nelly Noodle! (and yes they're both wearing birthday tshirts... Chanel LOVES having her tshirts on because everyone fusses over how cute she is - and Trixie has recently decided if Chanel has one on, she needs to have one on too...)

But tell me,

Do you have any pets?

How did they come to be a part of your family?

And if you don't have any pets - what's your dream pet?