Dougie

We said goodbye to our old westie, Dougie, today. I planted lots of snowdrops where we buried him in the garden so that we'll be reminded of him every February when they flower westie-white. He was born in 1999 so he's had a long life, giving us so much enjoyment with his friendship over the years. He was a gutsy little chap who could walk all day in his prime. He walked with us up quite a few Lakeland fells , including Scafell Pike. It was so distressing to lose him, much more so than I'd expected. The blip today is a copy of a photograph on film taken on the day he arrived as a pup, a birthday present for Robert who'd researched what he thought would be an ideal "starter" dog. He was ideal too - tough, loyal, reliable and he never turned on anyone. I remember often he'd have doggy dreams by the fireside. I wonder what they were? Visions of dog heaven?

Goodbye old friend. We'll miss you and I'm sure Pippa will miss you too.

Dog heaven

Imagine dog heaven,
Forests of sausage trees
And Narnia lampposts,
A butcher on every corner,
Everlasting chews,
Bones full of marrow.
And walks that last all day.

Duck down pillows, bean bags,
Hearth-rugs and open fires,
Every smell is a drama,
A tail-wagging story,
Of gravy-rich adventure,
Where the cats have no claws,
And owners come to your whistle.

If somewhere there is a Dog,
Then this must be the place where good dogs go.