Gone But Not Forgotten

LOUIE

Three weeks ago today, our Louie passed away after a short illness. The loss of Louie has left a huge hole in our lives. Louie bowled into our lives in July 2011. We went to the kennels in Stoke to meet him, the lady brought him out to meet us, as he came under the counter he grabbed a bag of treats. We walked him around the field, sat down, he cuddled up to us, gave us kisses and stole our hearts. Louie quickly settled into his new life with us. He couldn't believe he could sit on the sofa, come into the house when he pleased and even sleep with us. Sometimes, well most of the time in the first month, you would wake up, open your eyes to find Louie standing over you and watching you intently with those large brown eyes of his. When you made eye contact, you got a massive, sloppy, wet kiss, this was his way of saying thanks.

Louie was a very loyal, trusting and loving boy. You could see the effects that being given up by his previous owner had on him, I don't think he ever really recovered from the hurt of that. He became a pet dog. We introduced Lola and Meabh and they became a close little pack.

In September 2013, we located to Dorset. Louie went to the beach everyday, his favourite pastime was beach combing. Out on our walks we would be stopped at least two or three times so people could make a fuss of him, this he really enjoyed, as he loved people. Louie loved his girls and always looked after them out on walks. Lola, the cocker spaniel, is an ex breeding dog and she was scared of everything when she first arrived. Louie would always stand between her and male dogs, out on walks to make her feel safe. When Lola had been with us for a month, she needed to be spayed, it turned out to be a difficult operation, due to all the litters she had had. That night, Lola slept downstairs, I stayed with her, so did Louie, every time she made a sound, he would come and wake me up to go and check on her.

Louie was a larger than life character, affectionate, loyal, with a great sense of fun and he lived life to the full. Louie may have gone but his memory will live in our hearts forever.

Paul and Michelle (27 April 2014)

BOO

Hi John......

I am devastated to tell you I lost my beloved Boo yesterday.....He suffered a spinal injury...They think he had an old long standing problem but he deteriorated so quickly it was heart breaking to see my wonderful bonkers boy suffer such terrible pain....In spite of great efforts we had to let him go over the rainbow bridge yesterday as he was starting to have seizures and was in so much pain....

Thank you for bringing us together if only for a short time...He was loved by all and was content and happy all his days with me....

Should another bonkers Boo arrive needing a nutty owner please let me know....I know he would want to share what was his special happy home....

Many tears to shed now ....

Tina

GEORGE

Our working cocker spaniel Eilish died in January2012 and we were not really looking for another dog, but we just happened to look on the internet at the rescue centre called CAESSR and saw George. It said he was blind and was looking for a home. We took one look and said we must have him! We made an appointment with John to see him on Saturday 21st April 2012 and soon we were putting him in the car and taking him home. It was a two and half hour drive back and not a peep out of him – he was quite happy snoozing away.

After a few days of bumping his way around the lounge and kitchen of our home, he settled in very quickly. A few months down the line, when we were making dinner, he could find his way from the lounge to the kitchen at an alarming rate!

My husband (Roger) had taken early retirement so he was with George all day – we never left him at alone for very long as we wanted to let him know that we were there for him. When I came back from work he would jump out of his bed and would try and sense where I was. As soon as he found me he would wrap himself around my leg, nuzzling into me and giving me a paw. Later, he would lie on my lap as I watched TV or he would lie at the bottom of my feet.

Although blind it didn’t stop him doing things. He would come with us every morning for a long walk around the fields with our other dog Rowan (blue roan cocker spaniel). He would trot along with Roger on his extendable lead, wagging his tail and doing lots of sniffing. He was such a delight. He was friendly with every dog that we met.

George had two holidays while he was with us – one to Norfolk in July – where he enjoyed his time walking along the beach with me and my friend Doris and her dog Summer each day. He would wag his tail as he walked along – loving the feeling of sand on his feet. I am sure he was a beach buddy in a past life! In September he enjoyed his holiday with both of us in the Scottish Highlands. Lots of nice smells there!

George made lots of friends – furry ones as well as people friends. He had his own little Fan Club where I worked. I would drop him off at the groomers on the way to work and then they would return him at lunch-time so that I could take him home. Many of my work colleagues would rush down to see him. They all thought he was so loveable. They were always asking how George was. I also had to take him to the hairdressers one Saturday – Roger had to go to a tutorial and I forgot I had a hair appointment. I phoned the hairdresser and asked if I could bring George along – she said no problem. It’s the first time at my hairdressers that someone had a dog on their lap while getting their hair done! They all loved him and said that he was welcome any time.

George was eleven in January, but it felt like that we had him since he was a puppy. He just fitted in. He was a loveable, placid boy. He was such a joy to have and it was a real privilege to have looked after him. Although we only had him for a year we packed a lot into this time.

It’s only the past week that he has had problems with his eating and the vet thought it might be a problem with his teeth. She did lots of tests and because his liver test was elevated she wanted to do a scan. It turned out that poor George had a massive tumour in his stomach and intestines and there was nothing she could do. You can imagine how we felt – we were in a state of shock – we didn’t want to lose him. We brought him home for the weekend to say goodbye. We gave him lots of cuddles and TLC and after much heartache (lots of tears were shed) we made the decision to get him put to sleep today. It’s breaking my heart typing this note, but I do know it was the right decision.

He was a dog in a million and we will never forget him.

He has left such a big hole in our hearts.

We love you George and always will.

Michelle, Roger and Rowan (8th April 2013)

LUCY

Sorry to tell you that we had to have Lucy put to sleep today. It looks like she had another stroke earlier in the week and another last night. Old girl would not give up but she couldn’t eat or drink. Not a hard call in the end but by Christ she hung on.

As you can imagine Mary and I are absolutely battered and numb so I will give you a ring when we can.

You didn’t know at the time but you gave us so much when you asked us to look after Lucy and Sadie. What a pair, What an act!

John and Mary

OSCAR

Our beloved Oscar went to sleep last night after being diagnosed with Lymphoma. He had a fair amount of chemotherapy which he was ever so good with. Our vet, Sam was always pleased to see him. We would turn up weekly and Oscar would walk in give his paw which Sam would shave then he'd be given the Chemo without any problems and half hour later he'd get a treat. Oscar would always remain at the vets for most of the day due to blood tests and receive lots of petting from the staff.

Mark and I were the ones which knew that his treatment was just to make him feel better as there is no cure for the form of Lymphoma which he had. Oscar just thought he was having a day out.

Oscar had a fab time with us (11 Months) we adopted him at 5 years old. He loved his long walks, treats and cuddles.He had a wonderful singing voice and listened to every word you said.

We have enjoyed looking after Oscar and he will always have a special place in our hearts and will always be in our thoughts.

You haven't lived life to the full unless you've been a dog owner x

Ashleigh and Mark x

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