Politicians and their Pets: Joan Griffiths and Lulu

Joan Griffiths, Labour councillor for Edinburgh City Council’s Craigentinny  and Duddingston ward, introduces Holyrood to Lulu the Lhasa Apso.

 

Pet’s name?

Lulu.

 

Breed?

Lhasa Apso.

Age?

Five years old.

 

How long have you had her?

Since she was eight weeks old.

 

Where did you get her?

A lovely breeder from Moffat.

 

What can she do?

She loves being on Portobello Beach and running in and out of the water and rolling in the sand.

 

What do you most love about her?

Her long eyelashes, she can get away with anything just by looking at you through those eyelashes!

 

What special talents does she have?

Oh dear, special talents… I’m not sure she has any apart from being so cute! But if it counts as a talent, then when anything with four legs comes on the TV she does her circus trick by sitting on hind legs, growling and wagging her tail, as she thinks they are in her house and can’t make up her mind if she’s pleased on not!

 

What’s her best trick?

Running away with other dogs’ balls, I laugh when owners say she will never get to the ball before theirs do… and I have a load of balls in my garden that she has acquired.

 

What are her most annoying habits?

Rolling about in anything that smells, like fox poo and seaweed… I’ve had to stick her in shower as she smells so bad but she loves it (not the shower!).

 

What’s the worst thing she’s ever done?

Escaping out the front door and making for the beach, always when you have an early meeting and don’t have time for chasing her.

 

Do you think of yourself as a pet parent or pet owner?

Parent.

 

What’s the most ridiculous thing you have bought or done for your pet?

Diamante collar (pink with her name LULU on it)…

 

What’s your first pet or animal-related memory?

We had a white rabbit and one morning going to feed it before school I thought someone had fed it liver, turned out she had given birth to bunnies over night

 

What was the first pet you ever had?

Budgerigar 

 

What would be your dream pet?

I have my dream pet my beautiful Lulu

 

If you could be any animal, what would you be?

Any as long as I had a loving caring owner