A five-month-old puppy who learnt how to sit and stay at Dogs Trust Dog School has helped his owner with a very romantic marriage ‘pawposal’.
Keeleigh Currell and Matthew Higgins from the Isle of Wight welcomed Boris the Cockerpoo into their home just before another lockdown in January 2021. 
With face-to-face training classes paused due to restrictions, they were delighted to hear that Dogs Trust was continuing to support dog owners by offering online training classes during the pandemic.
The virtual classes cover basic training such as teaching your dog to sit, walking nicely on the lead, coming back when called, how to settle and responding to their name – all vital skills that help create a lifelong bond between dog and owner, and Boris was keen to learn.
Little dig Keeleigh know, outside of the classes, Matt was using his spare time with Boris to put one aspect of the training into practice as he was planning a very special surprise that needed Boris to sit and stay, even amongst distractions.
Keeleigh said: “The day Matt proposed, we had both booked the afternoon off work to celebrate the anniversary of when we met. I thought we were going for a nice dog walk on the beach and had no idea what was coming.
“Matt threw me off the scent by asking me to go to his parents to drop something off, but this was all part of the plan – his parents let him know I was on my way home so he knew how long he had to get Boris prepared and ready. When I walked through the front door, I couldn’t believe it. My favourite song was playing in the background, the house was full of candles and Boris was there with a sign that said ‘mummy, will you marry daddy?’.
“He didn’t move an inch and waited there patiently. Then I looked ip and Matt was stood there with the ring – it was amazing. I was so shocked; I think I forgot to say yes at first. But of course, I did and couldn’t be happier.”
Matt said that he had been planning to propose to Keeleigh for months but had to find another way to pop the question when travel restrictions meant he couldn’t do it in New York at Christmas.
Matt said: “Lockdown scuppered my romantic idea of proposing at the top of the Empire State Building so I had to think of something else that would be equally as memorable. When we got Boris, he fitted into our lives straightaway and seeing how much he meant to Keeleigh, I knew I had to involve him in some way. I had spent weeks getting him to sit, making him comfortable with me putting the sign over his head, and staying in position when the doorbell rang. I’m just so proud of him for not letting me down on the day – it all went without a hitch!”
Boris had been attending virtual Dog School classes which have helped support around 3,000 dog owners this year alone.
Head Coach, Joanna Page said: “It’s amazing to hear that Boris has been doing so well with his training outside of the classes, and we couldn’t be happier to hear that that he’s played such a special role in Matt’s proposal to Keeleigh – we’re very proud of him!”
For more information and to book your dog or puppy onto a virtual set of training classes, visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/dogschool. Online training videos can also be found www.dogstrust.org.uk/changethetale/advice
