When I was 4 years old, for my birthday I got a teddy.  Not just any teddy, it was a Dalmatian, red bow and all, right out of the Disney movie.  Call me fickle, but he immediately replaced my other teddys, namely my ratty Mr Blobby that I'd worshipped and loved a little too much since I was 2.  101 Dalmatians was one of my favourite films when I was little, even though I'm not really a dog person.  My favourite character in the film, was Rolly.  The chubby little puppy that constantly said "Mumma, I'm hungry!"...to be honest I think I identified with him - I was always hungry and always had chubby cheeks.  In fact my mum told me I wouldn't take a dummy (pacifier) when I was a baby because it didn't give me any milk.  So, Rolly was my companion, I took him everywhere with me.  If I was staying at my Aunties house and I forgot him, my mum would need to go home and get him for me.  It got to the stage where I couldn't sleep without him at all and nothing would replace him.


He always had pride of place with all of my other toys.  And because I had him for so long, he lost his ribbon eventually, and when his stuffing got flat - I performed "surgery" and re-stuffed him from an old pillow (I'm sure my mum was thrilled, but I taught myself to sew in the process. Also this was when I was about 10 or 11 I wasn't a crazy demon child running around with a needle and cutting up my toys!). He was quite the globe trotter with me too, he has been to; many different areas of Spain; Cyprus, Greece, America - to name a few.  He really was a lucky dog!


Unfortunately, when I was 17 and on my first holiday with my friends (yes I took him with me don't judge!), he got left behind.  We were rushing to get out of our hotel rooms to try and get into reception to get the transfer bus to the airport.  I forgot to do a once over of the room before we left, and he was still wrapped in the bed sheets.  I was devastated.  I didn't realise I didn't have him until it was too late.  I was getting on the plane, and all I could do was call my mum and ask her to try and contact the hotel.  She eventually got through, but apparently he wasn't found.  So I thought that he probably got sent off the the industrial laundry with the sheets - which I don't really like to think about.  Or I like to think (still not great but it's better) that one of the cleaning ladies took him home for her own child.  It took me a really long time to be able to sleep at night without him.  It would have obviously been something that would have to happen eventually - I was 17 and still slept with my "comfort blanket" every night.  I still feel a bit sad when I think about him lost in Spain somewhere - but I hope he's having a great adventure!  When I seen the Dalmatian jumper on ASOS, there was no question, I had to have it.  I almost bought the matching bottoms, but my mum thought that was over kill.  I love my jumper, and although it's not the most conventional design, or even in the style of something I would normally wear, I love it.  The puppies on it aren't really chubby enough to be Rolly, but I'm still going to pretend it's him!