A year and a half ago I wrote about Poppers (in the picture above) because he looks a lot like our dog Monty. His owner Hazel emailed me last week to tell me that they’d had to put Poppers down.
I can only imagine how she felt when this had to happen because I’m dreading the day I may have to do the same with Monty and I know I’ll be devastated.
His mum Hazel said:
“Poppers was “probably 11″ when we got him from the local rescue centre near Northampton in April 2006 but no-one seemed to know for sure. He’d been kicked at least once (probably more often) and had been waiting in the centre for four years before we adopted him.
I think, to be honest, he just gave up. He didn’t seem to be in much pain but he didn’t like the cold weather. He slipped on the ice a couple of times which made him very wary about going out through his flap into the garden. And the ignomy of ending up doing the business in the house was even worse.
My husband and I were both with him at the end – he just went quietly to sleep and that was it.
Yes, of course I’m sad but he had a wonderful time with us and we were lucky to have him even if for a shorter time than we would have liked.”
Poppers – here’s to you and I’m so glad you spent the last few years of your life with a loving family.
While I’m on the subject of animals I can’t not mention all the displaced animals from the Victorian bushfires, and all the dead ones. The human toll is talked about constantly – now up in the high 100s – and the animal one is around 10,000 according to wildlife experts. And the animals that are left have nothing much to eat. It’s pretty hard to even contemplate. I’m at a loss for words really. Apparently about $57 million has been raised and there are many people doing other things like donating blood and clothes etc to help out. People always come through in really tough situations like this. It’s good to see.
Update: Money can also be donated to Wildlife Victoria to help out the animals. Also have a look at koala Sam the survivor.
Last but not least, as this as an in memorium post, it’s one year ago today that my cousin was killed in a car accident. Not much more to say really.
Jen
Thinking of you – and thanking you. Is there a fund for the animals of Victoria? I’d feel good giving something in Poppers’ memory to an animal cause.
Here’s to Monty and her daily run.
Hazel, that would be fantastic. Wildlife Victoria are seeking donations – http://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/cms/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=43. I’ll also update my post.
Jen
I have also heard that farmers all over the country are donating fodder for the livestock affected by the fires.
It is awful that it takes something like this to showcase the generosity, but it is wonderful that people are.
Sorry to hear about your friend’s dog. My father often says we are kinder to animals than to our own when we chose to put them down rather than live in pain.
Jeanie
I do so agree about the animals for whom we take decisions – hard though it was to do it was obvious that Poppers had made his mind up that life wasn’t worth living if he kept slipping on the ice and couldn’t run around (which I hope he’s doing wherever he is now!).