Dear Diana, John and Ian,
Just to let you know that lovely Charlie, who we got from you in about 2010, went over the rainbow bridge on Friday 4th March 2022 at the grand old age of 15.5 !
He wasn’t an easy dog for the first few years of his life with us in North Yorkshire- he didn’t like to be touched by people he didn’t know, and would sometimes snap at my children’s friends if they tried to cuddle him, but we persevered with him with the help of a dog behaviorist and he mellowed into a delightful old man, as you can see from the photos taken last Christmas and on his last family holiday in February in Devon, just before he life got too painful for him.
He shared his final couple of years with Loopy Lily, an ESS bred by my daughter, and who jollied him along, together with the other dogs in our extended family.
He became more and more deaf as he grew older ( which at least stopped his distressing anxiety with thunderstorms and fireworks!)and more and more lame with arthritis, despite eye watering bills vet bills for medication and herbal remedies, until one day on a short walk, he just couldn’t get up any more, and we knew it was time to say goodbye. We’d already arranged for the vet to come to the house when the time came, as Charlie hated the vet touching him and always had to wear a muzzle to be examined, and we didn’t want him to leave us that way. So he went over the rainbow bridge in a very calm and dignified manner, surrounded with love at home.
So, thank you for letting us take him on. We wish you well for the future.
All the best ,
Chris and Mike