The evening before last, our eldest dog, a Golden Retriever died. It was all very sudden. She became ill the same morning and was rushed to the vet. Some hours later it was clear that she was bleeding internally. The sense was that a tumour - previously undetected - had probably burst. We were able to say goodbye and acknowledge the look in her eye - that enough was enough.
Dido has left a huge gap in our family life. She joined our fledgling family not long after we married and she was the only dog remaining who dated back before we began fostering. I can remember her welcoming our adopted son - and continually licking his head if he came within reach! Her surrogate puppy.
Dido was a fine retriever - much admired for her looks - with a gentle temperament and a keeness to please. Her favourite game was to fetch objects. In her younger days she knew several nouns and could "fetch the pen" or the remote on command. She has left a huge whole in our lives.
On the day Dido died there was great drama on the shore at Alturlie Point as a sperm whale beached. We watched its death throes as did many bystanders. The sperm whale was forty and forty-five feet long. We have sinced discovered from our vet and the coastguard that he was almost certainly gravely ill when he beached. The coastguard felt he was under-size for his age and had probably been ill for some time.
I was very touched to see that the local police put up a road block and police tape so that onlookers walked the last part to the point and did not go too close to the whale. On the outgoing tide his position shifted a little to the end of the track to our house. People stood; mostly speaking in subdued voices or in silence. Some were crying. It was a very powerfully evocative sight. Such a noble creature entering shallow water to die. Apparently his mate had remained with him for as long as possible and then finally swam away. Very moving indeed. Two noble spirits gone.
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