A death in the family
When they were just pups, Koko and Buster were rescued by us. Buster was re-adopted by my aunt, wildlife artist Patricia Wright and when she was no longer able to care for him, Buster trotted over to the family of the publisher of the newspaper I work for. He had a wonderful life and lived it to the full, up until the last week of his life. At the age of 14, and just shy of his 15th birthday, Buster suffered terrible seizures and was in great pain. There was no alternative but to put him to sleep. It was a sad day for everyone, but I’ve always felt that it’s not the length of a dog’s life that is important. It’s the quality of their lives – and Buster certainly had a quality life.
Rest in peace, old boy.
Our family dog, Amber, who was a rescued border collie / golden retriever cross, just left us as well. Hardest decision I ever had to make, and although she was 14 – it just seemed there was not enough time.
She was wonderful, never asked for anything really – although if you pocket ever at one time, even prior to washing, contained a treat of any kind – well it got the “nose treatment”.
This is the trade-off, our dogs never ask for anything but love, give it back 10 fold, greet us with wild abandon, think of us as one of them, comfort and entertain us and all we have to do in return is make the final, difficult decision – and even then if we pay close attention, they will tell us it’s OK, they’re ready to go.
Miss you girl – although I know there is an ethereal pasture somewhere celestial, that you are chasing some rabbit and waiting for one of us whistle you home.