We’ve got a puppy! Her name is Rosie, she’s got the most adorable floppy ears and she’s turning out to be as good as gold – so the perfect family pet!

Admittedly she’s wooden, but let’s not let the truth get in the way of a good story.

I recently posted about 5 reasons why every family should have a dog and why we can’t have one, so a wooden dog is our only option and Rosie (so named by BB) is a good compromise.

She costs just £14.95 from Harrods (so no food or vet bills required) and is made by Hape, the German wooden toy company loved by generations of children. We were very kindly sent one to review, and being for children aged 12 months plus I assumed she would be of more interest to Little B than BB.

How wrong I was! BB is almost five and so far has had more fun out of this walk-a-long puppy than her baby brother.

It really is beautiful quality – made from layers of sustainable maple wood and child-safe paint, she can sit, stand and roll and her head is weighted to respond to her pull-a-long lead. Apparently all this promotes fine motor skills such as dexterity and hand/eye coordination, as well as encouraging imaginative play and creativity.

While Little B prefers to play with her at home BB has been taking her for walks on the seafront, loving the ‘responsibility’ of walking a dog.

I also assumed – like most of our toys – it wouldn’t be long before she looked a bit bashed about, but she’s surprisingly hard wearing despite being dragged along the concrete promenade (often upside down).

I think it’s safe to say Rosie will become a lasting childhood toy in our house – just like my 1980s version which is still going strong and resides at my mum and dad’s house for when the grandchildren visit.

Did you have a pull-a-long puppy when you were little, and do your children have one now?

We were sent the Hape walk-a-long puppy free of charge for the purposes of review. As always all opinions are my own and based on my own honest experience.

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