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A few years on…

 

It’s been awhile since I have written here but life gets in the way sometimes, unfortunately.

Brin is well and becoming quite distinguished now by sporting a white moustache!

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He still rules the roost and woe-betide any cat who crosses his path….although much less of the ‘take off’ and ‘flying through the air’ is involved nowadays.

When we lost dear Dennis we rather thought Brin would be a loner as he often found other dogs quite stressful. Dennis and he tolerated each other from a distance but they never really interacted.

As I was overseeing adoptions for oversea dogs at that time I was asked to collect a young dog who was coming in from Ukraine.

Another soldier rescue.

Trinni was a stray pup who would come on to a base for a sausage every afternoon.

She became very popular!

One day, not long before the soldiers were due to leave she disappeared!

During a quick search she was found badly injured and being devoured by ticks.

The soldiers quickly set to work, patching her up as best they could.

Luckily, a call was made and Trinni was collected by a wonderful woman call Alex who drove 100 miles to get her to a vet in Kiev where the vet worked to save her life and leg.

Trinni recovered and was able to travel where I was asked to find her a home.

On collecting her she curled up in my arms and slept all the way home.

It was love…pure and simple.

The next test was how Brin would react….only time would tell.

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Update on Brin…

Brin has been a busy boy over these past few years.

Slowly, many things have changed for him and he has certainly relaxed from the ever vigilant soldier that roamed the local forest and side streets near my home. He is well known around here for his rather loud bark and so many people love him and pop out of their homes to say hello.

Not to say that I don’t still have my ‘Mary Poppins’ moments when an unsuspecting Husky or Lab pads around the corner…but Brin is certainly more controllable and I still have my fingers intact.

Having been awarded many accolades for his time in Afghanistan, and constant demands for documentaries,  life was now beginning to settle down for all of us and this was something I was truly grateful for.

Of course, it is amazing to care for a dog who is loved the world over but part of me just wanted him to be Brin.

Our Brin.

Walks in the forest, sitting on the beach or just lazing on the sofa were now becoming the routine and he still has aversion to change.

New places still cause him stress and this can last for days resulting in bloodshot eyes and exhaustion. This will never change and his travels are to familiar places and daily. He has never been down a High street or anywhere noisy or crowded and still, when in a room, he will place himself facing the door.

There are times I look at him and I am still overwhelmed by his journey. This brave dog who walked miles between patrol bases in Helmand Province, each and every day…but somehow survived.

Today, as he lays in the sun, never far from my side, I feel an old soul has touched my life and I am so proud of the way he makes so many people happy.

Brin is always checking where I am. Always by my side x

Brin is always checking where I am.
Always by my side x

 

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a long time since…

Gosh.

It’s been such a long time since I have written and there is much to tell you about Brin.

But…

Since my last post we have lost dear Jacob and the wonderful, if slightly crazy, Dennis.

So mother, father and son are reunited once more.

We know when these things are creeping up on us all and we go each day with the ‘one more day’ mantra…but then comes ‘the day’.

Funny how dogs in your life stay together always in your mind. You can never really separate them.

Ruby, Jacob and Dennis….lover of sticks, raindrops, hosepipes, digging, squeaky toys, footballs, mud, more mud and roast chicken on a Sunday.

Thankyou for being part of our lives for 15 years each one of you. I know you still sit in the garden with me.

I feel you.

See you.

Will always love you.

Fabulous character who never realised how big he was.

Jacob. Fabulous character who never realised how big he was.

Gorgeous girl who never needed for anything.

Ruby. Gorgeous girl who never needed for anything.

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Dennis ( or Kurt Cobain) Go jump at raindrops young man….xxx

 
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Posted by on April 8, 2015 in Uncategorized

 

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a love lost…

There always comes the day that any devotee to animals dread.

Ruby has left us.

15 years ago we came across her in a pile of hay in a barn in deepest Sussex. A small, lonely bundle waiting for her chance.

Our close friends had already homed her sister, Daisy, and we heard through them that there was just one left so we piled in the car and drove quickly to snap her up.

Bearded collies are the cutest pups. My husband got to the barn even before me and came out carrying her as if protecting the crown jewels. After we had settled with the owner we passed by a car on the drive containing a couple who had also come by to home her..but she was ours and we smiled.

Ruby was named on the way home as she slept on my lap. My two boys, (then aged 8 and 11) were over the moon as we had a small holding where her life would be one of tall grass, fields and forests. I also had rescued sheep having started with 2 this had blossomed into 14 old girls who lived their lives daily mooching about and causing havoc with any tree that took their fancy.

Ruby grew up to be the most amazing girl. Pretty, funny and devoted to all of us. Football was her game and no-one could ever beat her when it came to dribbling the ball across the field.

Ruby and Jacob

She became a mother to 7 pups with Jacob three years later and after 3 weeks, of protection and feeding, she decided that enough was enough and I took over the day and night feeding singing a song I made up to make them follow me everywhere I went. Dennis, our youngest at 12 (and one of her pups we kept) still reacts to this song today.

Ruby was also a great escape artist and often the door would ring to find her wagging her tail next to our neighbour.

Ruby Tuesday…

We were blessed that she never had health issues and only rarely she wore a lead as her life was one of total freedom by our side.

As the years went by, as we all know, the body tires and over the past few months getting up for her was a real struggle. She also had alopecia and cancer of the tail. A bit like an over loved teddy bear that had been cuddled and loved beyond recognition she would attempt to be part of everyday life but things were getting harder and harder for her and we decided it was time to let her go before true pain set in.

One can never truly express the deep pain of losing a family member who makes you smile every time you think of them. Funny how the teeth marks on the table legs and scratches on the doors become total treasures where once they caused a sigh.

Thankyou, Ruby, for loving us.

We will never forget you and will love you forever.

 
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Posted by on August 23, 2012 in devotion, dog, dogs, friendship, loss, love

 

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