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.

As usual, it has been forever.  :/  I hate it when I wait so long to post because I tend to forget so much and get everything in the wrong order.  So excuse me if this is all over the place.

Pinky chilling out

Not long after my last post we had a bit of an issue with Pinky.  One Sunday he spent most of the day outside lying in the flower bed.  It’s not entirely unusual but when he did not come in near feeding time we knew something was up.  Willie went out to fetch him and the minute he held him he start screaming.  It is also not unusual for him to squeal when he is picked up but not the whole time.  W put him down at his bowl and he jumped off immediately.  So we knew something was up.  He walked to the door and just lay there.  I took his food to him and I noticed that he was lying with his bum in the air a bit.  He wouldn’t eat his food.  I tried to feel if there was something caught in his hair or anything but he didn’t want me to touch him.  I suspected that he was constipated.  (persians seem to be partial to constipation and urinary tract infections – mostly because of the hair)  After about an hour or so Willie decided that we need to take Pinky to the vet.  He seemed to be very uncomfortable and W didn’t want to risk it.  I was busy with something so he ended up taking Pinky through.  Lucky for us our normal vet was on duty at the emergency vet.  Pinky wouldn’t let anyone touch him so they suggested we leave him so that they can sedate him and then have a look.  They would phone us when they’ve had a look at him.  Willie had just gotten home when he got a call from the vet.  It was much worse than we thought and we had to come back so that we could say bye to him.  Turns out that he had necrosis in the rectum and (obviously) complete nerve damage.  There is also no way to fix it.  Pinky was still sedated when we got there so we said our good byes.  Of course I sobbed like a baby.  I felt guilty and sad.  I felt like I should’ve done something sooner or that he was in pain for a long time.  The vet says it might’ve been coming for a while but there was no way of knowing.  He wouldn’t have been in pain till the end.  There was nothing we could do.

The house is so much quieter without him here.  He was a handful and had to be watched all the time so it feels a little strange not having him around.  When we adopted him from the SPCA he was sick, he’d had a stroke.  They didn’t think he was going to live for long at all.  So Pinky made it much longer than anyone thought he would.  He had improved over the years and had a really good life.  He was special and loved.  He is missed.

On a happier note.  After what seemed like forever Willie decided to trade in his car and get another one.  About 5 years ago we went to test drive a Honda Jazz.  I fell in love with it!  It’s always been my dream car.  You know those conversations you have about what you would do if you win the lotto.  What car you would buy when money isn’t a concern. Well, mine has always been a Jazz.  So when hubby was looking around he sent me a few links with different cars that he was interested in.  I opened them all and one of them was a Jazz!  I almost died.  We phoned the dealer and they ended up having one that had not even 52000 km’s on the clock.  It was basically brand new!!!  So needless to say hubby is now driving around in a gorgeous, practically brand new Honda Jazz.  It is gorgeous!  I am not going to lie I am super jealous of him but I am SO happy that he has it.  He is loving it too of course

Ok I think that is enough for now.  This post is already much longer than it should’ve been and it is only half the news.  Next time….