Fri 5th Aug: Let's just skip today

Can we just skip today?

Remembering Hilton when he was young

It was the day that I had to let two of my Lamma dogs go as their quality of life was such that prolonging their days would have been an act of selfishness on my part.  Hilton had been diagnosed with cancer in his spine after becoming totally paralysed in both back legs, and he had pretty much stopped eating. Although there was still life in his eyes and he could pull himself around on his two front legs, he was becoming weaker by the day as well as being incontinent.

Frank through the fence in happier days

Bulldog Frank was also in very poor condition, and my big regret for him was that he was never adopted so he could have a real sofa of his own.  Some of you may remember Frank's adoption stories - and failures - as he instantly took possession of the sofa in each home and wouldn't let anyone near it.  It was funny in a way but it meant that he was sent back every time, and in the end I knew it was pointless even trying.  What a character he was, but now it was time to say goodbye for the last time.

Sonic at Tai Po

Tai Po dog Sonic had been sent to Acorn with renal failure, and when he deteriorated even further I knew it was best to let him go.  May came over from the Homing Centre to be with Sonic and to say her goodbyes, so in all it was a very sombre gathering at the vet clinic.

Where are you Bali?

As if losing two of my Lamma dogs in one day wasn't enough, I had noticed during my morning walk that Bali wasn't with me and assumed that his back legs had finally given up and he had gone home on his own.   However when I got back there was no sign of him, and despite a search he was nowhere to be found.  As soon as I got back from Acorn in the late afternoon I immediately went looking for him again, joined by my faithful friend Diamond, and even though I did the entire walk again plus possible detours it was as though he had simply disappeared into thin air.

Diamond lived up to her name and grew into an amazing dog

Bali has canine degenerative myelopathy, meaning he is gradually losing the use of his back legs, and he struggled to keep up with everyone on the walk so I know he didn't run off, not that he would have anyway.  There aren't that many places a dog could go to where I live as I'm at the end of the road and island, and you either go into the sea or up to the hills.  As of this morning there is still no sign of Bali so I can only hope he turns up as I'm out with the dogs again. It's hard for me to believe that Bali is twelve years old now because in my mind he's still a youngster.

My walking group is getting smaller and smaller, with the recent loss of Hilton and also Gershwin, who although still alive and very well has refused to go into the woods since he was almost killed by a wild boar.  Jeremy left not too long ago, and before that it was Sooty, Donald and Toby.  Topper, Ivan, Winkle, Beanie, China and India were also hiking regulars who are no longer with me, and there are probably others who have momentarily slipped my mind.  Some dogs chose to retire, like Curly, who is one of my oldest remaining dogs from the very early days, and Tufty, another original.

The life expectancy of a dog is too short and we must all face the inevitable much sooner than we want.  Sometimes it happens suddenly while with others it's a slow process, but either way it's a loss. For me I have all of the other dogs that help to fill the hole left when one dies, but even so when you have lived with a dog for ten-plus years there is an inevitable bond which has to be broken.  I never forget any of my dogs no matter how many I have had and lost, and there are many.