clive_morrisau - Home Is Where The Heart is . . .
IMG_0839 - Lottie The Lovely Lady . . .
I read a story of a police dog in America who was put down by his handler at age 2 because he had a severe kidney condition. This police dog was given a Guard of Honour as he was led into the animal hospital to be put down. When I read the story I had tears rolling down my face. Having owned my beautiful Lottie Girl, I had a very good idea of how this policeman would feel, about putting his best mate out of pain, yet at the same time, losing probably the best mate he had in life. What a decision to have to make. Here is a link if you wish to read more . . .
www.nypost.com/p/news/national/police_disease_guard_battl...
I was wondering how I would handle having to make a similar decision when I had my wonderful mate in Lottie Girl or Lady Lottie as she was affectionately known around Tin Can Bay where I used to live in Queensland.
I was blessed in one way, because I met Rosey from the Philippines, and I began to visit her and this also caused a problem because then I had to find someone who would take care of Lottie when I traveled away. This happened twice and it was heart-wrenching for me to say goodbye and no doubt for Lady Lottie too. On the first occasion I was away for 6 weeks and the second occasion I had planned to be away for 6 months and I had to come home a month early because my dear friend could not take care of Lady Lottie any more. I was extremely thankful for the two beautiful people who put up their hands to take care of her during this time.
About this time I knew I would be spending more time in the Philippines and so what to do with my beautiful mate was becoming a problem. Then God stepped in and solved the problem for me. A lovely lady called Marilyn had a similar dog for some years and finally her faithful mate passed away and she was never going to have another dog. 12 months later she heard of the beautiful Lady Lottie and would like to meet her to see if they got on. Well, of course they hit it off straight away and Marilyn was overjoyed she had another beautiful mate by her side and I also knew that Marilyn would take as good a care if not better care than I had of Lady Lottie and she would be loved just as I loved her.
The time came for me to say goodbye. I had my bus that was my home then and we drove off around to Marilyn's place, about 10 kilometres away from where I lived. It was one of the saddest days of my life and took me back to when I was around 22 and we had a family pet similar in size to Lottie who had become quite sick and the decision was made, as a family, to put Snifter as he was called down. I remembered then putting a box on the front seat of my little Morris Minor 1000 with a lovely rug and putting Snifter in it.
Here I digress a bit . . .
Snifter sat up so happy and proud to be in my car, going for a drive, looking at this and that, and barking occasionally when something interested him. He did not often travel in my car, so he thought this was Christmas on a stick!!! Finally we arrived at the vet and I could not go in and hold him while the vet did what he had to do. He came out with a very still Snifter, lying on the beautiful rug. Tears were rolling down my face and I guess this is a common occurrence for vets and for other people who have to go down a similar pathway. I brought Sniffy home and laid him to rest near the apricot tree.
Now, 40 years later, I am going on a similar journey. Lady Lottie loved the bus and traveling. I would only have to rattle the keys, and she was in her passenger seat in a flash, looking at me going through the starting procedure, eyes wide and bright, the occasional bark wanting me to hurry up and get on the road.
Finally we were off and heading for Marilyn's place. I parked outside, and took her inside with her food, feeding bowl, toys, and blanket. Marilyn and I chatted for a while and then it was time to leave. I walked out the front door, not looking back, closed the front gate, jumped into the bus, started it, and I knew Lady Lottie would be frantic at this stage, because we had been a team for 10 years and if that bus started she would be part of it.
I engaged the gear, and slowly drove off. I made it around the first corner, and pulled over, shoulders heaving and tears like crocodile tears rolling uncontrollably down my face. Another of those worst moments in my life. I felt totally naked driving home, as I did not have my little mate up there beside me or on my lap, looking at the world flash past, jumping and barking at what she thought needed barking at.
I did not have to make the extremely sad decision this policeman had to make, in putting his mate down, and he had him for only 2 years.
It is around 4 years now since I let Lady Lottie go. I have visited twice and she is doing OK and when we got to Tin Can Bay again she will be on my visiting agenda. This time I don't know if she will still be going or not. If she is she will be around 18 years old, pretty old for a silky terrier, although I have known them to make it to 19 or 20. I have lost Marilyn's phone number but I do have her address.
It is never easy having to make the hard decision to either put your best mate down or give your best mate away so I really feel for this policeman. I know he will be doing it extremely tough and I hope he will eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel and can move on. I have, yet when I see pictures of the little lady such as this, I can then sit for a while and dream of days gone by, or walks by the seaside, of swimming, of her sliding under the doona on a very cold night, and her high spirited bark as she sees a semi-trailer coming towards us and wants to launch herself out the window to "bite it", or biting the lawnmower wheel, or sleeping peacefully, whether at home or on the road . . . all wonderful memories!!!!
This picture was taken in 2007 with my first digital camera.
Thanks for your visits, your comments and your faves, and your kindness. I did find Flickr a bit of a handful at first, I still think their home page is extremely trashy, but I now go straight to "Contacts > Recent Photos" and I am presented with this wonderful array of pictures from both Rosey's and my lovely Flickr friends!!
May God continue to bless your journey and may your trigger finger always be happy finding wonderful aspects of this magnificent world we share. Love and blessings always, Clive and Rosey xxxxxxx
IMG_0839 - Lottie The Lovely Lady . . .
I read a story of a police dog in America who was put down by his handler at age 2 because he had a severe kidney condition. This police dog was given a Guard of Honour as he was led into the animal hospital to be put down. When I read the story I had tears rolling down my face. Having owned my beautiful Lottie Girl, I had a very good idea of how this policeman would feel, about putting his best mate out of pain, yet at the same time, losing probably the best mate he had in life. What a decision to have to make. Here is a link if you wish to read more . . .
www.nypost.com/p/news/national/police_disease_guard_battl...
I was wondering how I would handle having to make a similar decision when I had my wonderful mate in Lottie Girl or Lady Lottie as she was affectionately known around Tin Can Bay where I used to live in Queensland.
I was blessed in one way, because I met Rosey from the Philippines, and I began to visit her and this also caused a problem because then I had to find someone who would take care of Lottie when I traveled away. This happened twice and it was heart-wrenching for me to say goodbye and no doubt for Lady Lottie too. On the first occasion I was away for 6 weeks and the second occasion I had planned to be away for 6 months and I had to come home a month early because my dear friend could not take care of Lady Lottie any more. I was extremely thankful for the two beautiful people who put up their hands to take care of her during this time.
About this time I knew I would be spending more time in the Philippines and so what to do with my beautiful mate was becoming a problem. Then God stepped in and solved the problem for me. A lovely lady called Marilyn had a similar dog for some years and finally her faithful mate passed away and she was never going to have another dog. 12 months later she heard of the beautiful Lady Lottie and would like to meet her to see if they got on. Well, of course they hit it off straight away and Marilyn was overjoyed she had another beautiful mate by her side and I also knew that Marilyn would take as good a care if not better care than I had of Lady Lottie and she would be loved just as I loved her.
The time came for me to say goodbye. I had my bus that was my home then and we drove off around to Marilyn's place, about 10 kilometres away from where I lived. It was one of the saddest days of my life and took me back to when I was around 22 and we had a family pet similar in size to Lottie who had become quite sick and the decision was made, as a family, to put Snifter as he was called down. I remembered then putting a box on the front seat of my little Morris Minor 1000 with a lovely rug and putting Snifter in it.
Here I digress a bit . . .
Snifter sat up so happy and proud to be in my car, going for a drive, looking at this and that, and barking occasionally when something interested him. He did not often travel in my car, so he thought this was Christmas on a stick!!! Finally we arrived at the vet and I could not go in and hold him while the vet did what he had to do. He came out with a very still Snifter, lying on the beautiful rug. Tears were rolling down my face and I guess this is a common occurrence for vets and for other people who have to go down a similar pathway. I brought Sniffy home and laid him to rest near the apricot tree.
Now, 40 years later, I am going on a similar journey. Lady Lottie loved the bus and traveling. I would only have to rattle the keys, and she was in her passenger seat in a flash, looking at me going through the starting procedure, eyes wide and bright, the occasional bark wanting me to hurry up and get on the road.
Finally we were off and heading for Marilyn's place. I parked outside, and took her inside with her food, feeding bowl, toys, and blanket. Marilyn and I chatted for a while and then it was time to leave. I walked out the front door, not looking back, closed the front gate, jumped into the bus, started it, and I knew Lady Lottie would be frantic at this stage, because we had been a team for 10 years and if that bus started she would be part of it.
I engaged the gear, and slowly drove off. I made it around the first corner, and pulled over, shoulders heaving and tears like crocodile tears rolling uncontrollably down my face. Another of those worst moments in my life. I felt totally naked driving home, as I did not have my little mate up there beside me or on my lap, looking at the world flash past, jumping and barking at what she thought needed barking at.
I did not have to make the extremely sad decision this policeman had to make, in putting his mate down, and he had him for only 2 years.
It is around 4 years now since I let Lady Lottie go. I have visited twice and she is doing OK and when we got to Tin Can Bay again she will be on my visiting agenda. This time I don't know if she will still be going or not. If she is she will be around 18 years old, pretty old for a silky terrier, although I have known them to make it to 19 or 20. I have lost Marilyn's phone number but I do have her address.
It is never easy having to make the hard decision to either put your best mate down or give your best mate away so I really feel for this policeman. I know he will be doing it extremely tough and I hope he will eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel and can move on. I have, yet when I see pictures of the little lady such as this, I can then sit for a while and dream of days gone by, or walks by the seaside, of swimming, of her sliding under the doona on a very cold night, and her high spirited bark as she sees a semi-trailer coming towards us and wants to launch herself out the window to "bite it", or biting the lawnmower wheel, or sleeping peacefully, whether at home or on the road . . . all wonderful memories!!!!
This picture was taken in 2007 with my first digital camera.
Thanks for your visits, your comments and your faves, and your kindness. I did find Flickr a bit of a handful at first, I still think their home page is extremely trashy, but I now go straight to "Contacts > Recent Photos" and I am presented with this wonderful array of pictures from both Rosey's and my lovely Flickr friends!!
May God continue to bless your journey and may your trigger finger always be happy finding wonderful aspects of this magnificent world we share. Love and blessings always, Clive and Rosey xxxxxxx