"What on earth would I do without my two sweet stalkers following me around?"
In our modern society, many elderly people live lonely lives. Not Marianne, though. Her son visits regularly, and he gave her two mischievous dogs, Pedro and Alfons.
"When the children were still living at home, we loved having a dog. But when they left, we wanted to travel the world, so we stopped having pets", says Marianne. "Five years ago, my beloved husband passed away suddenly from a heart attack. I was deeply unhappy, and I lost the will to carry on."
A box-full of love
Marianne's son wanted to help his mother out, so he turned up one day with a box. "There were two puppies inside. At first, I thought "oh gosh, am I up to this?" But Alex persuaded me to give it a try. I wouldn't be without them, now. Of course, they can't replace my husband, but they do take the edge off my grief."
Happy to go everywhere together
Pedro and Alfons follow Marianne everywhere she goes. "Well, almost everywhere", she laughs. "I don't drive, so I walk everywhere, even to the shop. These two rascals come with me on their double leash and wait for me patiently outside. Everybody knows them and they get lots of attention!"