Lib + Phemie
Lib adopted Euphemia Henrietta (aka Phemie, aka Flea) while on a camping holiday 12 years back. A stray Jack Russell X puppy, she wandered her caravan park home relying on the goodness of travellers for scraps of food and clean water.
While packing the car at the end of her trip, Lib spyed the little pup eyeing her from across the grounds. She knelt down to say goodbye and Phemie bolted right into Lib’s arms and wouldn’t leave her. Shivering, hungry and dirty, Lib couldn’t possibly leave this girl behind in good conscience, and so scooped her up and packed her into the car with the rest of the family. Together they drove away to Phemie’s new home and are still together all these years later.
Phemie has been a perfect little companion ever since. Well behaved, sweet, quiet and I would even go so far as to say she is grateful for her new life. Lib describes her as “quirky but well-behaved, an independent spirit.” She never barks or bites, although is prone to a touch of yodelling.
A typical Jack Russell X, Phemie can be fairly stubborn, although her ‘selective hearing’ has become actual hearing loss in her old age. 2018 was a shaky year for Phemie health wise with a multitude of vet visits, but she has pulled through and is a happy girl once again. After last year, Lib calls her a “very expensive ‘free’ dog.”
Until last year, Lib also had another rescue, Augustine Aloysius (Gus) who was sadly put to sleep, meaning that Phemie is even more precious now it’s just the two of them.
Phemie loves to snooze alongside her mum on their daybed while Lib reads and sketches. They have a small park right next door, and despite her old age, Phemie still gets excited for her 2 walks a day.
Lib and Phemie’s relationship is both unique and precious, and I had such a gorgeous time at their cosy home capturing the two of them together.
Thank you Lib and Phemie for welcoming me into your space and sharing your story. I love my job and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. Just like Phemie, I’m a lucky one.
x Dani.
