A couple have left their life in London to buy a house in Wales—so their dog could finally have a backyard of his own.
Morley the Cavapoo now lives in Wales with his owners, Mithi Ahmed-Richards and her husband Nick Richards, but for most of his life lived with them in an apartment in London.
Ahmed-Richards explained to Newsweek that she and her husband had lived in a one-bed apartment in London’s Forest Hill area, but when they got Morley in 2020, “realised we needed more space, so moved into one of the 2-bed apartments in the same neighbourhood.”
Their rented apartment was “a beautiful place for all three of us,” Ahmed-Richards said. But as Morley grew up, he became “confident, adventurous,” and loved being outdoors and running around.
The couple debated buying a house in London, but the high prices—particularly for homes with a garden—made them think it wasn’t possible just yet.
“But then, over the past year, we noticed Morley would sit by the window far more than usual,” Ahmed-Richards said. “Sometimes it’s because he’d watch the wildlife outside, but most of the time it’d be because he’d want to be outside or go outside to play.”
“Sometimes he would fall asleep looking out the window or on our bed which overlooked the window,” she recalled—and added: “Eventually we realised it wasn’t fair on him anymore. Even though we know he’s happy as long as we’re there, and we always took him on adventures, we just felt he deserved more.”
A video posted to Ahmed-Richards’ TikTok account, @miff_lifts on December 11 shows Morley’s journey, starting with him gazing out the window of their apartment to the garden outside.
Words over the video explained Morley had been “an apartment dog all his life,” but loved “looking out the window and watching the world go by.”
It showed Morley on different days, standing by the window and staring out, his owners sometimes joining him to watch the world go by together. They noticed he was watching the outside from the window “more and more”, and started to feel “so guilty” as they knew their pup wanted an outdoor space of his own.
“So this year we decided it was time,” she wrote over the video—as it suddenly switched to show Morley in his new home, exploring the outside, after they “gave Morley the garden he deserves.”
Ahmed-Richards told Newsweek they decided to move from London to Cardiff in Wales, where prices were more affordable and where they both had family.
“When we saw what we could get in Cardiff for the same price compared to London, we just knew it was the best option, especially as a garden for Morley had now become a non-negotiable,” she said.
“We just moved in two weeks ago, and it has, hands down, been the best two weeks of our lives, and I hope Morley’s too. The day we let him into the garden for the first time, I think he knew it was his straight away.”
TikTok users were obsessed, watching the video more than 50,000 times, as one commenter joked: “If you don’t love your dog enough to buy him a house, what’s the point in even owning a dog?”
“Pets are an extension of their humans.. I bet you both wanted to be outside more and he was just projecting it,” another suggested, while one admitted: “The only reason why we pursue to have a house with a garden is because of our dog.”
And another wrote: “This must have been the best day of his life. Beautiful video.”
Ahmed-Richards said the move has been wonderful for them—especially Morley, as he has “rolled around on the grass plenty, played chase, and enjoyed sniffing out treats we throw into the garden for him to find.”
“We’re hoping, if life is kind to us, that Morley will spend the rest of his life with his own garden to enjoy and play in,” she said.
“He still likes looking out the front windows because he’s nosy, but it’s so great he can finally stretch his legs outside in the garden whenever he wants.”
To anyone living in a major city, and considering moving away to give their dogs more space, she urged them to do so.
“London will always be there, but our dogs won’t be. Enjoy the slower pace of life and every minute with your dog if you can!”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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