Tuesday, April 20, 2021

20th April 2021

My darling Lucy has gone to the supposedly happy hunting ground in the sky, though she preferred to be in the house and not in the garden. Another stroke on Sunday left her helpless and so on Monday I booked her into the vet.

It was all very peaceful, she snored on the back seat of the car as we went.  You can have your animal euthanised in the car or outside on a trolley at our vets.  So the vet lifted her very gently on to the trolley inserted a catheter, and after the initial tranquilliser, the final act was injected and she slipped away almost immediately.  I have always been at this final act of death for my animals, a solemn and sad experience but relief at the painless end to life.  She will be individually cremated and her ashes brought back to the garden and spread underneath the roses and join her master. 

She was to be the first dog  that Paul had had, and he would have stuck with her to the end even though she could go psychotic every so often as memories of her past flooded her mind.  Apart from these occasional episodes she enjoyed her life and especially her home.  Indifferent to walks, she was the mistress of habit.  Always doing the same thing every day which included barking at the window that overlooked the churchyard as I drank my coffee.  Was she telling them to stay put?  Always found to have a soft toy in her mouth when greeting people at the door with a wagging tail.

She was a pretty cocker spaniel, and won hearts, as she won my heart when I first espied her photo at the Dog's Trust, and put in a bid for her.  Her owners were having to get rid of her because they were living in a rented house and had to lock her up in a shed every evening, this is what turned her mind I think, so we would have very rare hours of a behaviour that was troubling as she paced the house and knocked over things.  She came to us with a broken piece of pottery, which was said was her favourite toy and as we drove back from Thirsk, we stopped at Sutton Bank and shared our one packet of sandwiches with her.  That is why we have a large print of this magical place over the fireplace.

She was 14 years old this year and had had a good life but I shall miss her terribly, a good companion in this time of the pandemic.




17 comments:

  1. The hardest part of having a dog. Lucy was a beautiful dog, thank heaven she had such a loving home with you and Paul. R.I.P Lucy lots of love Thelma from a teary corner of Suffolk. Jan Bx.

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  2. Oh Thelma, how sad. Such a link with Paul too, who loved her so. She had a great character, albeit a bit manic at times, but she will leave a big hole in your heart and home.

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  3. Oh how sad. I was up till midnight writing and again at 4.00am this morning - guess who was by my side both times... I have adored having a dog again and know I'll be beyond when he goes - a long time yet ! hope.

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  4. Sorry to hear that sad news, we have such a short time with our dear pets but remember them forever.

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  5. I am sorry. Losing a pet is a big heartbreak. I am glad you were able to rescue her.

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  6. I am sorry to read about your Lucy. She is a pretty dog. You gave her a wonderful life that she deserved. The years we have our sweet dogs to love fly by so quickly. Our little Fuzzy Pomeranian is in his 17th year. He is totally deaf now and on cold damp days very stiff with arthritis, but is still a happy little guy and still does his Pomeranian spins, only much slower. At his current age, I know the hard days will come, and I dread it so.

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  7. Thinking of you Thelma as you face your first few days without her. Tess died after a stroke - at least such a death is usually painless. The house will seem empty butnow she can be in the garden with Paul - and that must be a comfort. Take care

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  8. Never easy to lose a beloved pet.

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  9. What a lovely tribute you have written to Lucy. I am sorry for your loss. How lucky Lucy was to live in your loving home.

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  10. Thank you everyone for your kind comments. All today I have found her invisible presence in the house, I catch a movement out of the corner of my eye but she isn't there. My friend called in with some flowers and I said rather foolishly, I can't even vacuum her hairs away. She was a good dog to have around. X

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  11. I am so sorry, it is hard to lose a beloved pet.

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  12. Lucy was a good and faithful companion.

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  13. Oh, Thelma, I feel so sad for you. What a lovely dog Lucy was and I know you loved her dearly. Their lives are just too short.

    Take care, dear lady.

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  14. It is a relief that we can do this last kindness for our pets, but still such a wrench of loss. As you note, we continue for days to think they should be there--just missed from the corner of the eye when we turn to the spots they most loved.

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  15. Oh No! I'm so sorry to hear of Lucy's thread coming to an end! 14 is a good run but still... one wishes for more. Seems like a spaniel sized cairn or standing stone may be in order. Thinking of you.

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  16. Thank you for the thoughts, her ashes are to be scattered on the roses a return to the earth.

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