Hunting Dogs.

We lost Mabel, our lovely dog, just a few months ago. She was somewhere around 16 or 17, travelled to the UK with us from Australia, and we miss her terribly.

The house is empty without her. It feels wrong to arrive home and not have her waiting for us. It feels wrong when I'm cooking and she's standing at my feet waiting for a scrap. It definitely feels wrong to wake in the middle of the night and hear the reassuring snuffling sounds of a content dog fast asleep and dreaming of bones.

We lost our other girl, Millie, about 18 months ago. It hurt as well, but not as much as we still had Mabel at our feet. Now we've come to miss them both equally.

We started looking at rescue centres to find another dog, but they're all out. It seems they can't keep up with demand as families working from home decide to get a pup. I guess it's good for all these homeless dogs, but will they be sent back when there is a return to work?

As a side to this new demand, breeders are charging excessively ridiculous sums for their dogs - if you can find one who has any. Waiting lists abound.

In the meantime, we continue to look for a dog. It has to be the right one for us. But we'll know when we see it.  Wish us luck in our hunt.

Farewell, Mabel.

A couple of weeks ago I took this photo of Mabel sleeping on the floor. A few days ago she passed away. 

It was only in April 2019 we said farewell to Millie, and that hurt. Now we have lost both girls, it hurts even more. 

Mabel was a lovely old girl, somewhere around 16 years old, who loved life and was curious about everything. A small dog with a huge personality and a big heart. Mabel was one in a million, and we weren't the only ones to think that. So many people loved this dog. Friends from around the world sent messages. Some from Australia, who knew her from before her big move to the UK, were in tears.

She was  a very very good girl.

Her arthritis has recently been causing some discomfort, and she got tired quickly, but she still had a good appetite and loved life.

Overnight we woke to her panting. She couldn't get comfortable and seemed out of sorts. We managed to get her to the vet today, but we came home alone.

The memories of this special girl will live with us forever. And those are something we cherish and love.

Sleep well, Mabel.