Right, I am trying to do some catch up so please stick with me. It’s definitely been too long.
Mid July we flew Willie’s parents up for a weekend visit. It was only the second time they were flying and the first time they were doing the whole thing on their own. I was so nervous that something was going to go wrong and it would upset them or put them off the whole thing completely. I went to pick them up just before 1pm on a Friday and the minute they came through the gates with smiles on their faces I knew everything was fine.
My nerves were a little frazzled a few days before they arrived. 2 weeks before our domestic worker phoned me on a Sunday night and told me she was sick and going to the dr but she would be back Tuesday unless she tells me otherwise. I didn’t bother doing too much as she was expected back. Well she was off for 2 weeks. Because I left so much for her expecting her back I was stuck doing catch up cleaning as well. urgh. That will teach me. Needless to say I had about a week to spring clean the house from top to bottom, catch up on washing and ironing and prepare the spare room. I think I might’ve actually done a bit of a better job 😛
On the Sunday while Willie’s parents were here we had a bit of an issue with our dogs. While W and his dad were out I was sitting in the lounge. I heard Frank yelping outside so I went to see what his problem was. I walked out the door and ALL the dogs were around Nosh and all i saw was blood. I grabbed her and took her inside. Phoned W and he rushed home so that we can take her to the vet. I couldn’t see more than one or two ‘holes’ but I could see that she was very sore. We took her to the emergency vet and she got almost completely shaved so that they could treat her wounds. There were loads of them. It took her a while to start acting like her normal self. 3 weeks later her hair had still not grown back.
Last week Wednesday W was home off sick and I was at a meeting. I was just around the corner from home when he phoned me. The dogs were all around Nosh again and she was bleeding. We couldn’t take a chance so I rushed home to take her to the vet. She was in surgery so she gave her an injection for pain and I had to leave her there. When I came home W and I had to start thinking about what to do for Nosh. We were very concerned about it being just too much for her at her age. We went back a bit later to speak to the vet. Nosh couldn’t see very well anymore and she was battling to hear. She spent most of her time sleeping. We were worried that her quality of life would be so much worse after this.
After speaking to our vet it was pretty obvious what we had to decide. She told us that it was quite natural for dogs to attack an older dog, especially as old as Nosh. She said they would do till they kill her. It wasn’t that they were bad dogs it was just the way it is in nature. She showed us that Nosh had huge bites on both side of her neck. She had to have stitches on both sides and on her lower back. It was so close to her jugular. So the choice wasn’t really a choice. She was just coming out of surgery so she wasn’t really awake but I got to spend a little bit of time with her. She was shaking from the anesthetic but the minute I put her head in my hand she calmed down. I spent a few minutes with her but then I had to leave. It was just too much.
Nosh playing with Muffin (about a year ago)
I know for most people it is just a dog. For me she was so much more than just a dog! We moved to the south coast and lived with my aunt for a while while our house was being sorted. When we got there their dog had puppies 4 days before. I got to choose one and Nosh got her name a few days later. I spent SO much time with her and by the time she was ready to ‘leave the nest’ we were ready to move into our house as well. So I’ve had her since 4 days old. She had such a character. It was the first time we had a small dog that was allowed to be inside. Up till then our dogs were outside dogs. I remember coming home from school on the weekend and she was lying in the lounge. My mom had originally said that she would be an outside dog so I was surprised to find her inside. My mom said she was still a puppy so she could be inside for a while but I saw immediately that Nosh had crawled into my moms heart and she was going to be an inside dog. She was my friend in some crazy times. I remember my mom picking me up from school on my 18th birthday with flowers and my Nosh. They drove all the way to fetch me in the middle of the week. I remember Nosh coming to school with me on our last day. She was the star and everyone wanted to play with her. I remember sobbing over boys and she would look at me as if to say “what’s the big deal, it will all work out in the end”. I remember when my mom died and I was shattered. All I wanted to do was cry and she came to lie next to me and pushed her wet nose on my cheeks. She didn’t leave my side once. I remember when she was about to have puppies and I was away for the weekend. My dad phoned me and told me that she was acting strange and he thinks she was going to have her puppies that weekend. By Sunday morning he phoned me and said I better come home there seems to be something wrong with her. I rushed home and when I walked into the room she wagged her tail and literally within minutes her first puppy was born. I believe she was waiting for me. The list goes on and on. I grew up with her. She was 14 years old and was my best friend for those 14 years.
I miss her so much. The house seems quiet. I wish I had known so that I could have a at least a few special days with her. It has also made me miss my mom so much more than ever. I guess it is the cycle of life. You start to lose those nearest and dearest to you. It stinks to be honest.
