On Tuesday we said good-bye to our old dog for the last time. Isla was 13, not a bad age for a labrador, but she had slowed down a lot over the last couple of years and was almost blind. All so different from her first 10 years or so, when she would walk miles and miles with me along the Ayrshire coast, day after day, and we thought she would never calm down. When we moved to our current house she loved walking on the moor, sniffing the smells of the wildlife, and eating the horse and rabbit poo. Her love of food stayed with her to the very end - she never lost that.
We often said she was the friendliest dog in the world. It took her years to learn how to bark, and throughout her life she didn't once show any signs of aggression towards anyone or anything.
Ali took her to the vet on Tuesday afternoon - she was strong, it was the right thing to do - and when I came home from work there was a dog missing. The house feels strange without her.
Last night I was in Troon and ran along many of the streets and pavements where we used to walk. It just seemed like an appropriate thing to do.
11 comments:
What a shame. Only met her the once but she was a lovely dog. Madalene loved her.
Sorry to hear it, Ian.
I know what it is like mate. We try and be sensible about these and try to convince ourselves that they were only pets, but they aren't. They are, were, our friends and it is a great loss when they go.
I am sure that the whole family is feeling the loss but our best wishes are with you all.
DQ
Ian,
My sympathies. We are on our third dog in 26 years. the first was accidentaly poisoned and died young but the second was 14 when she had to be put down after a heart attack. Our current dog is a German Shepherd aged 12 and is rapidly slowing down although the postman won't agree. I'm certainly not looking forward to losing her. The only thing that can be done in a dog loving family is to replace them as soon as possible afterwards.
Best wishes
Davie
Sorry to hear your news Ian. I've been a dog owner for 5 months and already feel a huge emotional attachment to Jess our Springer Spaniel. Best wishes to you all.
So sad, Ian. Thinking of you all. Take care x
Oh Ali and Ian,
I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm sure you will miss her very much.
Take care,
Kaz.
Sorry to hear of your loss,
take care,
Fiona x
Sorry to read about your loss.
Your run on Wednesday must have been special.
Hey Ian,
I am sorry to hear the sad news. Take care a we are all thinking about you.
Marco
So sorry to hear about Isla. I didn't realise she was so ill when I was round last week. It's always terrible to lose the devoted family member that dogs become.
We still talk about how our previous collie would have loved being somewhere even now, 5 years on.
Hope the memories of Isla remain fresh forever.
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