POST 1: ANTICIPATION
There has been a great deal of excitement in the Kelly household over the last few weeks. We are going to have an addition to the family, of the four-legged variety.
Amber, a Labrador puppy has already made her entrance into the world and now we are waiting for the day when we can collect her. We already have two elder statesmen, one 12 ½ years old and the other 10 so our first concern is how tolerant will they be of a much junior bundle of energy, always wanting to play?
After all, any puppy will demand attention, which we’ll only be too happy to give. But will our senior gentlemen be as happy to give theirs? Only time will tell.
Then there’s her character. That’s difficult to tell at first but is she going to be mischievous like some little puppies can be or will she the canine equivalent of an angel.
Another consideration is house training. Is that going to be difficult? Will Amber be challenging, or will she pick it up quickly?
Finally, there’ll be the myriad of vaccinations to sort out. Distemper, Parvovirus, Kennel Cough, Leptospirosis and Parainfluenza are standard.
What do we need to do to cater for a growing puppy?
We won’t be able to take her for a walk until she has all her jabs and then the next phase of training will be getting her to sit, heel and return, all on our commands.
We’re really looking forward to it and the extra dimension and fun Amber will bring to our lives.
This started me thinking.
What if Amber was an apprentice, joining DALROD?
There would be the same anticipation, with the team wondering how her arrival would change the dynamics of the business.
Would Ben, our existing engineer get on with her? Would I, for that matter? Once past that honeymoon stage, would she become a hindrance rather than a help?
Would she share the same outlook that I have about clearing drains? I love the variety of the work, the fact that I can help people and the daily interaction with them. Would that be a motivator for her or? After all, it’s not the most glamourous of jobs sometimes. Well, most times, come to think of it.
She would naturally demand attention, as there will be a lot to learn before she could become an effective member of staff. Water jetting, basic health and safety, emergency first aid at work, asbestos awareness, working in a confined space, manual handling are only the basics that she will need.
Then there are the vaccinations.
Working in drainage requires Hepatitis B as a must and then the industry standard also requires a Tetanus jab.
So, there are so many similarities, and I am going to tell the story of both as they unfold. The tales and adventures of Amber’s journey into doghood and the parallels of Amber’s journey as a budding drainage engineer.
It will be fun, interesting and I hope insightful to show how we work and the care we take in delivering our service.
