"You can't live in Devon without a dog!"

These were the words uttered by my then-boss, in a moment of panic as she realised her Louboutins and Rolex really weren't cut out for Devon life. Swiftly after this epiphany she returned to her native Oxford.

I remember feeling quite insulted at the time. How dare she make such a sweeping, stereotypical statement.

Three months later we picked up Coco.

I've always been the outdoorsy type. I grew up surfing after school, going for long bike rides along country lanes and helping my parents in the garden at weekends. Then, as is often the way as the veil of 'being all grown up' flutters down and settles on your shoulders, I became more and more of an indoorsy kinda girl. Verging on sedentary at times, actually.

I guess, growing up in such a beautiful place, I'd become a bit blasé about the miles of sandy beaches and rambling hillsides. Why make the effort to get in the car and contend with the holiday traffic, when you can sit on your nice quiet sofa and stagger from one YouTube video to the next, living your outdoorsy life through others' adventures?

All this changed, however, when we (my husband and I) moved out of town, and suddenly found ourselves just moments from the beach. We started venturing outside again, favouring strolls at sunset over nights in front of the telly.

However, walking with no purpose felt weird somehow. Were people looking at us, thinking 'Where are they going?' 'Isn't it a bit late to be on your way to the shops?' 'Who goes to the beach at nine o' clock at night??'

We'd look at other couples with little four legged friends and start up conversations about what we'd call a dog if we got one, what breed it would be, would we get a girl or a boy?

It wasn't long before I was browsing on Pets4Homes. Ok, browsing is a slight understatement. Obsessively stalking the app would be more accurate.

Before long I fell in love with a litter of labradoodles and on Valentine's Day last year we collected our little ball of fluff.

I can honestly say Coco has transformed and enhanced my life in every single way. Walks on the beach suddenly don't feel weird, I have a reason to get up at 8am on a sunny weekend to give her a walk before the tarmac gets too hot and there's always a delighted little face waiting for me when I return from a stressful day at work.

Since having Coco I've discovered places that, after living here for nearly 30 years, I still didn't know existed and even on the darkest, wettest, coldest night I have an excuse to get a 'blast of fresh air' before dinner (not always a bonus, but I feel good afterwards!).

So, going back to my boss's flippant remark, I have to admit (and it pains me to say this) that she was right. Although you can obviously 'live' in Devon without a dog i don't think you can truly live in Devon without a dog.

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