Meet the Dearhearts: Lyra's Story — Part One

Lyra came into my life at one of the worst times.  My beloved Evie had passed so suddenly and I knew Max wasn't going to cope on his own.

It was November, which, as it turns out, is probably the worst possible time to be looking for a Basenji puppy. Within a few days of Evie passing, life was carrying on around me, whether I was ready for it or not. And amongst all the grief, there were suddenly practical things to think about. What was I going to do with Max? I knew he needed another dog. He'd had Evie beside him for years, and I couldn't imagine leaving him on his own as every previous attempt had failed.

So I started contacting breeders.

And when I say contacting breeders, I mean I basically gave them my entire life story. I remember writing this ridiculously long email explaining my history with Basenjis, how Evie had come into my life, how I'd got Max through the Basenji Club of Great Britain, what had happened to Evie and how worried I was about Max being alone. And then I basically said, "I know this is highly unlikely, but if you happen to have any puppies available in this year's litters, please get in touch."

A few people replied over the following weeks, mostly to say they didn't have anything available. One person replied about six months later.

But Daria, from La Mes Bella, replied within a day or two.

I'd shared something on one of the Basenji Facebook groups about losing Evie and how heartbroken I was, and Daria had seen it. She understood straight away that Max couldn't be left alone. Because I already had experience with Basenjis, she put me on her list for the year's litters.

She had a litter planned from her black bitch Luna and red bitch Sara, and asked if I had any preference. I said I needed a girl because I already had a boy. And then I said something that, looking back, seems quite funny.

"Anything but red."

I just couldn't imagine having another red girl. Evie would always be my only red girl. But I added, "If they're all red, then a red will do." As the pup is more important than the colour for me, but i was so aware, the idea of a little red lady could break my heart everyday.

The first litter was born, and there was a red girl and a brindle girl. The brindle girl was beautiful, and I remember thinking, "Maybe this is it. Maybe it's time for my brindle."

But then, a few days later, Luna gave birth.

Daria sent through pictures of the new puppies. And there she was. One tiny little puppy with a fully black neck and the most beautiful little white lightning bolt instead of a big white collar. And on her face, she looked like she had this tiny feather between her eyes.

The minute I saw those pictures, I knew.

"That's my baby girl."

There wasn't really any question. That was the moment my little Lyra became mine.

And within a few days I had her name too, sweet baby Lyra Elizabeth Belle Dearheart!  Lyra came from my love of the greek myths and her mother is Luna and father Lychee, so Lyra came to mind, a constellation named for the Lyre of Orpheus.

Waiting for her to arrive was actually a really magical experience. Daria had all of us puppy families in a Facebook group, and we got daily updates about the mums, the puppies, their progress and everything that was happening. We literally watched our babies grow, every little milestone and every tiny change. It was really special.

And I feel like I'm part of Daria's family now. When you have one of her puppies, you've been entrusted with one of her babies for life. I love that.

But there was something else going on for me during those weeks.

Guilt.

A lot of guilt.

Evie had only passed away in early November. Lyra was born in late December. It wasn't long at all. And while I was excited about this tiny puppy coming into our lives, I also felt guilty for being excited. It felt like I was somehow dishonouring Evie, like getting another dog so soon meant I was replacing her.

And I wasn't. I knew that. But grief doesn't always listen to what you know.

About a week before Lyra came home, something strange happened. After Evie died, I'd had a little necklace made with a pendant containing some of her ashes, another with some of her tail hair, and a little howlite crystal.

One morning I woke up and the crystal had fallen out of its casing. I tried to put it back, but it wouldn't fit. There was a tiny two- or three-millimetre gap, almost as if the crystal had somehow shrunk.

Now, whether you believe in these things or not, it could have been nothing more than a strange little coincidence. But howlite is associated with healing, particularly around loss and grief, and in that moment I took it as a message.

I remember thinking, "Okay. I don't need to hold this guilt anymore."

I felt like Evie was telling me it was okay. That I needed this. That Max needed this. That it was okay to love another dog.

And when the day finally came to collect Lyra, I didn't feel guilty anymore. I felt ready.

When we arrived, I went into the puppy pen and sat down. This tiny little piglet waddled over to me, sat between my legs and curled up. She just seemed to know.

Evie had come over and chosen me. And Lyra did very much the same.

I remember looking at her and thinking, "Oh. That's my baby girl."

We brought her home that evening. My friend Jackie had been looking after Max for the day, so she met Max first. Lyra came into the house and had a little waddle around, and then Max came in.

He was absolutely fascinated by her.

"What is this?"

He couldn't leave her alone.

She, meanwhile, was completely confident. She was never one to cry or worry or seem unsure. She just seemed to arrive and immediately decide, "Yep. This is my home. These are my people. I'm safe."

She was confident, happy and utterly fearless.

And she quickly became the puppy who hung off Max's neck with her needle teeth. Max has always had skin issues, so his neck was getting absolutely shredded. We were trying everything to protect him, including putting little snoods around his neck, and Max just tolerated her, he loved her.

Every now and then, like any adult dog with an annoying puppy, he would get a bit fed up with her. But on the whole, they got on brilliantly.

I even remember leaving them in the front room one day, with Lyra safely in a puppy pen and Max loose in the room. I came back to find this tiny puppy had somehow scaled the side of the pen and climbed onto the crate on top, where Max was sitting.

I just looked at her and thought, "Okay then. I guess you live free in the front room now."

She had clearly made her decision.

And that was Lyra.

She never really needed to be told that she belonged. She just knew. Within hours, days at most, she'd settled into our family as if she'd always been there.

She was her own little person from the beginning. I was very conscious, especially in those early days, of reminding myself that she wasn't replacing Evie. She wasn't Evie reincarnated. She was Lyra. Her own personality. Her own little soul.

And I wanted to give her the space to become exactly who she was meant to be.

Although... as the years have gone on, she has become more and more like Evie every day.

Which is slightly worrying.

Because Lyra is very much an Empress.

She always has been.

As she got towards two years old, she started developing that classic Basenji "I am the Queen Bee" attitude. And I think showing definitely encouraged it.

I'd take her to shows while Max stayed at home. He wouldn't enjoy the show environment, and being neutered and unregistered, showing wasn't really an option for him anyway.

Lyra, however, loved it.

And she'd come home after spending a whole day with Mummy absolutely convinced she was the most important creature on earth. If we'd stayed overnight somewhere, she'd come home even more convinced of her own importance.

The strut. The attitude. The "Yes, I'm aware you missed me" energy.

It was very boss bitch, and I absolutely adored it.

Because from the minute she waddled into our lives, Lyra was simply... Lyra.

And this was only the beginning of her story. 🧡🐾

I'll be sharing more of her adventures, quirks and Empress behaviour in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for Part Two.