A Weekend Tinged With Sadness

The weather was actually quite nice in the Lake District, bearing in mind its is October and you can`t exactly expect wall to wall sunshine! My friends 50th birthday went well and so now its back to the office for a few days and then off to London next week end for another friends big, very big, birthday!

However the weekend was a really sad one is many ways as our beloved dog, Ice, had to be put to sleep on Wednesday morning. Ice was rescue border collie who came from the National Anima Welfare Trust in Watford just over 9 years ago. His adoption papers say he was 4 1/2 years old then so that made him quite an old boy at 13 1/2 – trouble is he didn’t`t look it ! The first picture of him here was not long after he arrived, the second one was taken about 6 weeks ago and he still looks like a puppy !

The boys on Holcombe Beach, Norfolk.

He arrived in a bit  of a rush as his older brother Hamie, who died about 11 months ago at the ripe old age of 17, was already in residence. Both came from the same place and, bearing in mind they were both male dogs, actually got on well together. As Hamie got older and went blind Ice used to look after him, taking him out a walk around the garden. When you adopt a dog from a rescue centre you usually have to bond with them over a period of a few but, as Hamie had been with us 2 years already, this was not necessary with Ice. He came home and settled in straight away.

He was them most beautiful, lovely natured dog in the world, not a nasty bone in his body. He was the perfect advert for anyone thinking of rescuing a dog, a collie cross with short legs, loved playing with his toys and, of course , his food and treats! When my mother was ill in hospital we used to take him in to visit, and staff wanted us to bring him to be used as a ” therapy  ” dog, he was so good and new exactly how to behave in all situations.

He became ill very suddenly last Saturday lunchtime and sadly was diagnosed with acute kidney failure on Tuesday evening. The vet tried to save him but finally we all knew there was nothing we could do and the kindest thing was to let him go to sleep, out of his pain and suffering. There will no doubt be another dog eventually but nothing will ever replace darling Ice.