Wednesday 1 December 2010

Oh, and by the way, our dog died.

On 18th October 2010 we had our lovely Rhodesian Ridgeback Talyn put to sleep.

It was the right thing to do but nevertheless a very hard decision to make. She had been suffering from fluid build up, first around the heart, and then in the chest. I truly believe we tried everything medically possible and no expense was spared (pet insurance covered most costs).

In the end it turned out to be a form of cancer that had eventually spread yet had been undetectable from the various tests that had been performed. This was only found later as a result of the autopsy. There would have been no treatment.

On that day we realised the time had come, the vet came to our house and the dog we raised from a puppy and enjoyed 6 wonderful years with died with her head cradled in my arms.

A surreal and deeply upsetting experience, one I will never forget.

But we believe she had a good 6 years. She never wanted for anything and spent many  a happy week down in Cornwall enjoying the sun, sea and sand.

We miss her terribly and I try hard to think about the good times so here are just a few small glimpses into her life.

Just a few days after arriving she was already taking up what would become a familiar pose.

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She really did love her sunbathing. She would stand outside in her selected position and wait for her quilt to be put down. She had us well trained.

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Man and dog in perfect harmony on Rock beach in Cornwall. She loved to play hide and seek with me amongst the dunes, no guessing who always won.

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And the place she enjoyed most, her bed.

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Finally, my favourite photo taken at the Lichfield festival. Moments later she was barking at the knights on horse back, but no one seemed to mind.

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1 comment:

  1. David, our beautiful dog died this morning in exactly the way you described, with his head in my hands. He was 8 1/2 and like your dog had enjoyed many holidays to Cornwall and Yorkshire and days out walking. We feel he had a good life with us and was a big part of our family. Our smaller dog is very ill at the same time with fluid round his heart so it is a horrible time for us, but the right decision to let the older one go today.

    Your account and pictures are lovely.

    Sara @doctorsez

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