A sad silence has fallen upon the house, in yesterdays post I mentioned that Richie’s health had seriously deteriorated over the last couple of weeks and that we would soon have to make a very difficult decision.
Today we said goodbye to our brave little man as he crossed the rainbow bridge to run free and chase squibbles with his sister.
It was not a choice we made lightly, but it was made for him. It is better to remember the way he was rather than watch him become a shadow of the happy little chap he has been. Every that day we put it off would have meant that we would have lost him piece by piece. Now my precious boy is at rest and free from the pain of his dodgy ticker and he is running around green fields and splashing through babbling brooks without a care. I don’t doubt that little Molly Popples was waiting on the other side of the bridge for him and they were soon swapping tales about their lives with us and how they made us laugh and cry.
Trudes, in her wisdom, sent me a poem that she found; I guess she knew how this would make me feel. If only there was a glue to mend a broken heart, I have put the poem here so that others can read it; it may help you to understand why the older and not typical cute dogs need a loving and caring home.
Richie had a hard life until he was taken in by TLDR. We suspect he had been beaten and he had had his front left leg broken, either through a kick or being hit with something. He’d lost his right eye, either to an illness or an injury. Add that to a heart that was wearing out and you had a pup in need of a lot of love. I’m not saying that another family would have loved him less, but nobody would have chosen to take him on if they were presented with him or a more appealing dog. But he was ours heart and soul, and we loved him the way a dog deserves to be loved, with gentleness and a warm bed.
I don’t doubt that there are those who think me foolish for being so emotional over what is, after all, just a dog, but they’re not just dogs. We take these animals into our homes to be our companions and our friends. They rely on us for food, warmth, shelter and care. After being involved, albeit on the sidelines, with an animal rescues I am shocked and saddened at the way some people treat their pets, and I wonder if they would treat a person in such a way? They clearly have no respect for life or the joy that a pet brings into our lives. Trudy says that when we lose a pet we don’t grieve for them but for ourselves, that may be true but it doesn’t dull the pain I feel right now.
The Legacy
When humans die they make a will
to leave their homes and all they have
to those they love.
I too would make a will if I could write.
To some poor wistful, lonely stray
I leave my happy home.
My dish, my cosy bed, my cushioned chair, my toy.
The well loved lap, the gentle stroking hand,
the loving voice.
The place I made in someone's heart.
The love that at last could help me to
a peaceful, painless end,
Held in loving arms.
If I should die, Oh do not say,
"No more a pet I'll have,
to grieve me by its loss"
Seek out some lonely, unloved dog
And give my place to him.
This is the legacy I leave behind -
'tis all I have to give.
You may think me daft or over sensitive for being so emotional, those who know me well will also know that I love animals, I always will, I can’t walk past a cat without saying hello, and I get great joy from having dogs in my life, something I thought I would never say.
If you have a dog or a cat that shares it’s life with you, grab it, hold it tight and tell him or her that you love them, and show them that you do every single day, you never know how much longer you will have with them so you need to treasure every moment.
That’s me done for now.
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