♥Ziggy♥ by Greg / Greg

My dear boy, Ziggy.

I first met you in July 2009. You were the last of your brothers and sisters to be collected. Why no-one selected you first, I will never know. But, I am happy they didn’t, because that meant you and I became father and son.

You were the cheeky boy who grew up in a house full of love with mum and me looking after you. Your life was full of walks, cuddles, and adventures in our large yard.

At dog training, you are always the boy who would pull on the lead, irrespective of how many times I corrected you and encouraged you to walk by my side. I continued to get in trouble from the trainer because you would not walk in the correct position next to me, but I did not care because you were happy where you were and it was comfortable for you and I.

You were the boy who would laze around all day on the decking at home and chase the birds away from your dinner bowl when they had the cheek to come and try and eat the food you did not care to eat. How dare those birds come and try and eat your food! What an outrage you thought that was; you would run across the decking, barking and scaring them away. Your decking and your food bowl were your sanctuary.

You were a wonderful, but somewhat boisterous companion for my mum in her latter years. Your love towards her was so evident, but somewhat a little too powerful for her as she became frail, at 80+ years.

When mum passed away, you were my faithful companion and I sought comfort and held you close and when remembering mum. You were indeed my closest companion in my time of need. The one thing I will remember about you, Ziggy, is your faithfulness and you always being there during happy times and sad times. I thank you immensely for your ongoing love towards me. I think you knew in your heart, you recognised and valued the love I had for you, also.

Some four months later, another tragedy was experienced and again, you were there for me to hug and hold close and bring comfort to me in a very sad period in my life.

In time, my life fortunes turned upwards and I met a wonderful new partner and her son and we became a family of four. You fitted into this new family structure wonderfully.

In our new home, you quickly settled down and became the king of the castle guarding the property in my absence and leaving me to guard the property when I was home. You had a very good sense of what was appropriate at the time in terms of your behaviour and the role you needed to play at any given time. You simply fitted in to whatever circumstance prevailed.

You loved your Oinkers and dry doggy biscuits immensely and they became your treat on a daily basis, one in the morning before I left for work, one immediately upon my return home and finally, one more when I tucked you into bed at night under your blankets. I think many people thought you were spoiled, but I disagree. You received the comfort and care my love for you compelled me to do. I did not pamper you, I just loved you and cared for you. Pretty simple, really…

I did note after our walks again after the winter period, you seemed quite tired after the walks. Afterwardes you used to flop on the floor, and I put it down to the weather be warmer and you just been hot and tired.

On Saturday, you were not lying down or sitting like you normally do, you were standing. This was quite unusual and seemed odd behaviour for you. We took you for walk later that evening and you were not pulling on your lead, but walking next to us, just like the dog trainer was always encouraging you to do. After 100 metres, you stopped and coughed and looked very tired. Out of concern and worry, our walk concluded and we decided to take you to the Animal Emergency Centre to make sure you were okay.

Your initial diagnosis was not promising and we agreed you stay for observations and tests. The test results from x-rays, ECG and blood tests indicated you had a genetic disease called dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart.

Clinical description:
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease of the heart muscle that is characterized by an enlarged heart that does not function properly. With DCM, both the upper and lower chambers of the heart become enlarged, with one side being more severely affected than the other. When the ventricle, or lower chamber, becomes enlarged, its ability to pump blood out into the lungs and body deteriorates. When the heart’s ventricle does not pump enough blood into the lungs, fluid begins to accumulate in the lungs. An enlarged heart soon becomes overloaded, and this often leads to congestive heart failure (CHF).

The vet’s prognosis for your recovery was bleak and I was telephoned at 3 AM on Sunday morning to inform me you were not responding to medication and all the tests indicated you were failing rapidly. I was encouraged to come to you and be with you whilst you were put to sleep, which I did, of course.

We entered the treatment room, you were in your enclosure looking quite tired, forlorn and still. Upon me calling out your name, you quickly turned your head towards me and gently raised yourself to come to me with your tail wagging. A wonderful sign, if only for a moment, but it showed me you were happy in these, your final moments. You stood facing me for a few moments, then gently lowered yourself to lay on the floor, resting your head on my hand. I constantly patted you, rubbed your ears and told you that you were a good boy and that I loved you, as I had done countless times before over the past six years. I genuinely feel you felt comforted by me doing this for you.

The vet gently injected the medication to relieve your suffering and your breathing slowly dissipated to silence…

Ziggy, you were an amazing and loving boy and a faithful and loyal mate, who I shall reserve a place in my heart for evermore.

Love you, my boisterous, lovable and faithful little man.

 

Always in my heart.