(Warning – you may need tissues for this post.)
Our beloved Jaffa, The Princess Dog, has advanced bladder cancer, and in the past week or so her quality of life has diminished. Tomorrow morning, our vet will come to visit, and assist her to the place where food o’clock comes lots of times a day (and always before tummy-rumble o’clock), where there’s always someone to snuggle up with, and where she’s allowed to eat all the bunny poo and ‘roo poo that she wants.
Today the sun shone in a blue sky, the weather was warm, and the birds chattered in the trees – a perfect spring day. We had a gentle day together, Tansy and Jaffa and I, with several strolls in the bush,
lots of pats, a few treats, and snoozling in the sunroom:
Gordon came home early, and he and Jaffa had a walk in the bush while Tansy and I had cuddles, and then all four of us sat for a while outside on the grass near the dam, as the sun cast its last golden light through the trees.
Jaffa then kept me company, right beside my computer chair (she likes to arrange herself around the wheels), to supervise some work (and get some more pats):
and then it was food o’clock, and a special treat of some fish may have found its way to both dogs:
She’s snoozling again now (there’s been a lot more of that, this past week) and tomorrow there’ll be some more treats… and a tearful goodbye. (I’m writing and posting this now because tomorrow will be hard.)
We know we’re making the right decision, but oh, we will miss our beautiful girl.
Ooh you’ve got me all teary now! I’ll be thinking of you all tomorrow…
Will there be rabbits & those big hoppy things to chase?
Thanks, Paula!
Absolutely there’ll be rabbits – and she’ll be able to fly like the cheeky choughs that tease them in the trees…
So many lovely memories of Princess Jaffa.
Thinking of you Bron, and Gordon and Tansy.
Helene
Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and love today.
The Princess Dog was eating a special treat – fish! veal! strawberries! yummy! – while being patted and adored (as every Princess should be), when the injection let her relax totally and slip away so peacefully. No more pain, no more discomfort for her. We’ve buried her in a lovely spot where she liked to walk; there will be native orchids flowering in the general area in a few weeks. We’ll plant a tree there soon.
Tansy’s getting plenty of attention and pats, but is not as settled as usual – just like us. I think we’ll all have an early night tonight; it’s been an emotional few days. But we are very very lucky to have had Jaffa in our lives, and yes, there are many, many beautiful memories.
I don’t think there is truer love than the selfless and brave one that impels a pet owner to spare his or her companions further pain.
Thinking of you all, and remembering my own beloved princess. *hug*
Many hugs Bron..all the best.
Oh, Bron, I can hardly see for the tears as I’m typing. I should have heeded your warning and gone and got some tissues!
Many, many hugs to you, DH & Tansy. But what a lovely thing to do to remember Jaffa – plant a tree. I’ve planted a shrub for every pet I’ve lost – it’s now a tradition. I have an Emma flowering ash, a Jo bottlebrush and a Smudge mellaluca hedge. 🙂
I also have a photo album just for my pets that I can add to and flip through when nostalgia strikes.
Again, lots of hugs to you all!
Thank you, Azteclady, Brenda, and Kylie for your thoughts and virtual hugs.
Kylie, we’re thinking about trying to get a Hillgrove Gum – they’re local to this area, but very rare now, so it would be good to plant one for Jaffa (she was rare, too). The back-up idea is a Guyra wattle – we planted one for a baby hare we couldn’t save, and it’s a beautiful wattle, a delicate pale yellow, and slightly later flowering than most of the others around here.