The loss of a furry companion

A tough week

It has been a tough week for me.  A few days ago I had to make the difficult decision to put our beloved dog Honey, down.  She was over 16 years old and had, what I think was, a pretty good life with us.

Found on the side of the road

We found her on the 1/2/2008, on the side of the road, in a rest area just south of Dipton.  I was taking our daughter Laura to a 9th birthday party.  Honey was running around on SH6, chasing cars.  Trying to find “her” vehicle and her way back home.

Fortunately, a lovely Welsh couple, travelling Aotearoa in a camper-van had pulled over in the rest area.  I asked them to hold onto her, promising to return and get the dog once I had dropped Laura off.

Honey by nature and colour

I returned and picked up this lovely young dog.  Honey in colour and by nature.  Not wanting to get attached to her, I would affectionately call her Honey, presuming that her owners would claim her back. 3 weeks passed and no one had claimed her after social media and lost and found shout outs. 

Then I noticed that our lovely Honey’s belly was growing and the realisation dawned that she had been dumped because she was in pup.

Welcome to the whānau

By this stage she had really become our dog.  So I informed the kids that we would keep her.  They were excited to pick a name but I said that she had really named herself and Honey became a member of the Spencer McDonald whānau.

Constant companion

Honey, like many dogs was a constant companion and the friendly furry being that greeted us when we returned home.  I would always toot my car horn to let her know I was home, especially in the latter years as she became more deaf.  She would always be there at the car door to greet me with such unconditional love and joy.

Honey was also the dog our children grew up with and my empty nest dog.  She has always been there for us.  I like to say we both struck lotto on that day back in 2008.

Animals find me

I have been blessed to have had many wonderful animals in my life.  They tend to find me and my sister Leigh joked the other night “That they’ll be lining up to become my pet now there is a vacancy”. All my dogs have been re homes and our latest cat Mags as well.  I am unashamedly proud of this. 

Impressions on our hearts

But I am not ready for a newbie yet. The wounds are too raw, too close to the surface to imagine any furry friend replacing our Honey. Our pets really do leave an impression on our hearts.  The unconditional love they give and all they ask for in return is warmth, kai and love. 

I remember reading once that dog was god spelt backwards.  They really do seem like sentient beings that can teach us so much about kindness.

Furry, feathered, finned or feral

So this blog is for all our pets out there – be they furry, feathered, finned or feral.  Take care of them and they’ll leave their mark on your heart.

RIP

RIP Honey.  May your heaven be filled with Temptation Treats, bones and cattle you can chase along the fence line pretending to be a tough farm dog.  

A side note

As as side note, I corresponded with the elderly Welsh couple for over 12 years.  We would send each other Christmas cards and pictures of our dogs. Just another way in which pets can connect and unite around the world.