This is not a cheerful post, as you can imagine from the title, but it is a part of dog ownership that doesn’t get spoken about very much (for obvious reasons).
I lost my dear wee Alfie to a very quick untreatable cancer in February. Alfie is the centre of everything. He was my first puppy, my first competative agility dog, the first trick dog grand champion in NZ and the first Canine Conditioning Fitness Champion too. He is my buddy, very clever, my life and everything to me.
Nothing prepares you for seeing the quick decline of your best furry friend. Nothing makes it better and no words can really help. Within a month of getting a blood test as noticing a slight lack of muscle loss on his back leg to no longer being here. His last dog agility show was in Southland 9/10 Jan and he did some of his fastest ever runs in the highest levels. He got his Dog Agility Gold title at the end of last year, so very proud of what we achieved.
Without Alfie there would have been no competitive agility club locally, which Alfie & I founded. In turn Cromwell would not have been used for the new zealand dog agility championship in 2019 either if it wasn’t for Alfie & I. #teamalfie
Such a cool dude that actually did alot for other people and other dogs. He always had a wagging tail, ready to train and eat! He famously ran out of every dog agility run for BBQ in Dunedin at an Otago dog agility championships when we first started competitive agility. Cheeky boy! 😂
You never know when you do your last show, last walks, last tricks.
Loosing a pet is heartbreaking. It does break you inside. You forget to eat, can’t sleep and/or function. You have lost your family member that listened, loved, comforted you and had the best times with.
Things I miss seem silly, and somethings just take you off guard and you burst out crying. It’s those first times that really get you right? The first time you come home and he is not at the door. The first time you go to the bathroom alone. The first time you make 2 dog dinners rather than 3. The first time you go on a walk or run without them, the first time you curl on bed and usually he would spoon into me, the first time you put just 2 dogs in the car....
When I was around 12yrs old I was with our family dog in the livingroom when he was put to sleep at a very old age. He was my big brother as he was there before I was born. There are photos of me as a toddler using him, Toby, to help be learn to walk. Then he was there just peeping into the teenage years. This was also a very hard day.
Our next family dog was a rescued Border Collie called Sam, a few years later, where being older I walked him and started bits of dog agility. Lots of fun! I went to college, I went to university and when I popped home at weekends, Sam was there wagging his tail so happy to see me. Although this time I was not there for his old age decline, he lived a long happy life. That day was also very sad and I spent the afternoon walking on a ridge line and let off a balloon with his photo on to help me release.
Being an adult now doesn’t make any of this easy. In fact much harder as you have to make decisions that you don’t want to make. You have to make the call to be kind. You have to be brave, you watch your best buddies last breath and heartbeat and you have to be ok with it.
You will never be ok with it. However, eventually I’m told you just live with it better. Eventually it is just a little less painful...... apprantly.
Alfie & I did so much together, had a great bond and lots of fun. He loved to learn, he loved to train and really loved biscuits ☺️
With all this pain, I would of course adapt to live without him, as that is life, you live, you die. Life can be taken too soon, it can be unfair, but the time I had and the memories are just so precious. ❤️ Alfie.
Alfie only lived to 8.4yrs, as cancer took him, but I had such fun. Owning a dog is a gift and I hope eveyone enjoys their fur-babies everyday.
Alfie is so clever, so hansome and I’ll miss him forever 🐾
RIP Alfie 26/9/2012 - 20/2/2021