My Muse, Amber

Written and photography by Yvonne Jansen

Written and photographed by Yvonne Jansen from BlissfulTails 

October 2024: Amber (that’s what I named her) ran back and forth on a busy road in the countryside with two other dogs. A lady stopped and Amber jumped into her car, but the other two ran off.

Her rescuer took her home and wanted to give her a forever home but, unfortunately, her Jack Russell didn’t like her. So she took Amber to the vet, where she stayed for almost two months. They reckoned she was about two years old.

Nobody claimed her

The vet posted her photo with text on the neighbourhood WhatsApp group and on social media, but nobody claimed her – she was most likely a stray. Someone from the neighbourhood took her home, but after two days she was too much and was returned to the vet.

I never saw her post. Somehow I’d missed it.

Early in December 2024, the vet sent me a WhatsApp asking if I was interested in a Border Collie cross, to which I replied, “NO, I already have six dogs!”

To which the vet replied, “Yes, I know, but she might be good in agility and I know some of your dogs do…”

Out of curiosity, I asked if she was female or male and how old and was told, “Female – around two years old.”

Meeting Amber

I had a friend visiting from Holland, and at the time of the WhatsApp exchange we were in Cape Town. I phoned the vet to tell them that I wasn’t at home, but on my return in two days I’d come and see her.

My friend and I went there and saw that Amber was quite a busy girl. I thought she might be a bit nervous. After giving it some thought, I phoned the vet and said that I’d give her a try and see how it went with my dogs – if one of them didn’t like her, I couldn’t keep her.

She had a bad tooth that needed to be removed, which the vet would do before I took her home. Actually quite sad: her front teeth in her lower jaw are nearly gone. It looks as if she scratched them on stones or a chain – we know nothing of her past.

A rough night

On the 10^th of December, my friend and I collected her. She didn’t have a name, so I called her Amber – her amazing eyes are a beautiful amber colour. The vet liked it, saying that it suited her.

That evening, we decided to go for dinner around the corner, but as I didn’t want to leave Amber alone with the others, we took her to the pet-friendly restaurant. She was on a lead but after a few minutes she was quite okay and I let her stroll around. She already responded to her name when I called her and came to me straight away. She was amazing.

I thought, that went well… but then it was bedtime. While my friend stayed in the guest room downstairs, I had the whole gang in my bedroom upstairs. Amber was panting and very restless. She lay next to me, but was far from sleepy.

At around two in the morning, Amber discovered the cats under the bed. She frantically started to scratch on the mattress, and Ivy (who chased the cats for a month when she was adopted) triggered the craziness. All hell broke loose.

My friend heard the rumpus coming from the ceiling and thought I needed help. On opening the door, something jumped right at it, so she quickly closed it and thought: “Well, she’ll manage!”

I got all the dogs spread out in the living room downstairs and things calmed down. Back to bed and we all fell asleep, including Amber, who was still panting but asleep. At five, it was daylight and everyone was up again. I was shattered – I’d slept maybe two hours.

What happened? The vet has an office cat that Amber couldn’t be bothered about. I have a blind cat who lies on the bed in the second guest room downstairs – as she can’t see, she doesn’t react when a dog enters the room. I’d called Amber, who came in with a wagging tail, all happy, and she wasn’t interested in the cat at all. I think she smelled and heard something under the bed but didn’t know what it was.

But I don’t give up easily.

I had to collect something at the vet and told them that last night had been absolutely insane, but I’d see how it goes. The second night was the complete opposite – she was still panting, but calmer, and she slept through the night.

My best friend

Amber was exactly the rule of three: three days, three weeks, three months. After the first three days she stopped panting and began following me everywhere. I don’t think she’d ever had a home or a person. The difficulty was feeding – she’s food crazy. Which is understandable, considering that she’d had to search for food and wasn’t sure when she’d have the next meal.

In the beginning, she started to protect me on the bed, growling at the other dogs when they came near me. I immediately told her off and quite soon she understood. After a week or so, she understood that she had to share, which was very difficult for her. When she lay on the sofa and I stroked her, she was immediately startled and raised her head up; now she’s totally relaxed – even when she’s fast asleep, I pet her and she’s totally fine with it.

But again, I fully understand where she comes from. She’ll never go back – and the rest is history.

She’s very clever. She has no interest in cats now, or chickens or birds, and is good with all dogs.

She’s my 24-hour shadow and doesn’t leave my side. She loves car rides – every time I leave, she’s next to the car and I have to tell her that she can’t come with me. Then she sits and looks miserable, until I go through the gate and she joins the others.

She’s also very playful: she’ll get a toy and throw it in the air – it’s so funny.

Amber is so special. She’s really become my muse and I love her to bits. She’s the dog that I always wanted – a best friend and always near. Having seven dogs now is a bit much – but I wouldn’t want to have missed her for the whole wide world.