Tilly.
![Image](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaK04ohjePc_AhFf9GNLWwn-NIOQwAAddIPLelBqCSGJFR2XMHNUgWMMiWLfI83s0xcSoiDPxoKizWJDcvs_j9-pNb62-90JrW5TTpyfylI9PpyjPWgxJOyevCS9Bbk8ZR5XKR20ZsOn_byoAt7MbIvzoAVvURxuHIxf61lnJdsgo4fI1KqYc4gloC9_Xz/w640-h480/2012-07-30%2017.01.05.jpg)
In January 2010 I was idly browsing through the ads for pet dogs on Gumtree when I spotted a very poor quality picture of a mainly white dog with some black markings. The dog was sitting looking up at someone just out of shot, as if obedient to them, (Knowing Tilly now, I suspect treats may have been involved). The description in the ad was somewhat less than detailed. She was described as being a mix between a Bearded Collie and an Irish Wolf Hound, and the people that had her, wanted rid of her for free. That, and a contact number was about it. Even in the blurry shot on the ad she looked like a beautiful dog, and I was intrigued. It had been around ten years since our last dog had died (aged 17), but at the time, my wife was nursing her elderly mother, and with a Wolf Hound in the mix I presumed that this would be a very large dog, so I didn’t mention it, thinking that someone would soon take on a dog like that. Shortly after, the ad disappeared, so I thought tha