Taffy had a hard time in the last year and a half of his life. He was diagnosed with heart disease three days before Christmas in 2004, and he was put on medication. We didn’t think he would make it, but he did and we took him up to a cottage in Scotland for the best Christmas we’ve ever had.
He spent hours looking out of the glass patio doors at the Pine Martins who came to get jam sandwiches. He would bark at them if they came too close to scare them away then wag his tail and look very pleased with himself.
He was doing well until February 2005, when he began to get fluid build-up on his lungs. The specialist gave him three months to live from that point, but he went on to live and be happy for another year and a half, astounding
the vets that treated him.
In June this year, he started chewing on his foot as he had a wart in between his toes. He eventually cut off the blood supply and his toe turned gangrenous. It couldn’t be amputated as he wouldn’t have woken up from the surgery, so he was out on more medication. He was doing ok, until he decided to try and amputate it himself. He hit an artery and almost bled to death, but our amazing vet saved him. However, the following week, he began to get very tired, and passed away in my mother’s arms. We’re all so glad that she was with him, as he loved her more than
anyone else in the world.
We all miss him more with every second that passes, and the pain is unspeakable. We miss the silly things he did, like walking into door frames and tables because he was too busy watching what we were doing to look where he was going! Every day he did something new to make us smile.
Even though he was only a little chap, and didn’t have cymbals attached to his knees, the house seems so quiet without him now, like the spirit of the home went with him.
We buried him with a few of his favourite toys and some chews. I also placed a photo of us in with him, and wrote the following words on the back:
We will always love you.
You’re our little dude
A little soldier
Our little bubba
With lots and lots of love forever and always
Mummy, Daddy, Gary and Cheryl xXx
To our little dude, love you always,
| Taffy |
| 25, July 2006 |
| Karen, Terry, Gary and Cheryl |