Cat food eating dog to feature in book

Monday 15 October 2018

A local pup with a penchant for cat food, and branded the dog world's Danny Dyer, is set to have his adventures chronicled in a new book 'fur' charity.

Terrier 'Archie Four Paws' has given his owner, islander Shena Battrick, plenty of reasons to laugh since joining her family eight years ago - and now she'll be sharing them to raise smiles and funds for the animals' shelter.

Archie originally belonged to Shena's dad, who adopted him at just eight weeks old. When he passed away, Archie joined his new family in 2010. According to Shena, "it was love at first sight."

Now 12, Archie makes up for his small size in personality.

“I always say if he was human he would be like Danny Dyer or Idris Elba,” Shena explains. “He has his charm and links to think he is streetwise. Sometimes it’s really like he thinks he is human. I talk to him as if he is a child, he is like a second child! He has a Peter Pan complex where I think he believes he is younger than he actually is. If he was a man, he would be having a midlife crisis. I can see him with highlights in his hair, wearing leather trousers and driving a sports car."

Pictured: Archie was adopted by Shena's dad aged just eight weeks.

Amused by Archie’s attempts to charm the ladies and other shenanigans, Shena started writing short stories from his perspective. She shared them on the 'Jersey Dog Forum' Facebook group in hope of entertaining its many members.

"I imagine he has quite a low opinion of me and is fed up with me because I am so unorganised and forget his treats! He is a getting bit old so I recently bought senior food. He ate it at first, but when he saw the bag he didn’t want any of it anymore. I wrote a story on this, about him losing his cool and wishing he could train me. The stories did get a nice reception, people said it made them laugh or smile."

Many of Archie's adventures reference his mischievous attempts to eat his "cat sister's" food - even though it gives him a rash. The pup has also been known to wake Shena up as early as 03:00 for "walkies" or belly rubs. The antics might sometimes lead him directly to the doghouse without any treats, but more often they end up making Shena laugh.

Pictured: "Archie has big personality", Shena says.  

Encouraged by the positive response to Archie's 'tales', Shena created a dedicated Facebook page for his adventures, and is now taking that a step further by compiling them into a book to raise money for the JSPCA.

Named ‘Archie and Friends', it will also include other dogs' adventures. Five owners have so far been in touch to share the stories of their canine companions, but Shena, who will be working on the book over the winter, is urging even more people to get in touch.

"Sometimes people think they don't have anything funny or interesting to say, but if you look at the situation from the dog's point of view, which is very different from the human perspective, it can be funny. There is a funny side in everything."

Pictured: Archie is a 12-year-old Terrier.

While admitting hating English in school, Shena says she is enjoying the writing process. "I never thought about writing a book. I do suffer from anxiety and low moods and it helps me because it gives me something to focus on. 

"I hope it will help make people smile. It is also kind of a legacy for Archie. He is not going to be with us forever and not everybody gets to find their forever home so it's nice to have this. If nothing else, I want Archie's legacy to be: 'He came, he saw, he made you smile!'"