Syrah the Mighty is gone.
She was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma - cancer of liver/spleen, something that apparently can come to terminal stage rather quickly. She had been acting a bit out of sorts - lots of getting up and having to go out at night recently, and then today when The Ravishing Mrs. TB got home, she was simply laying in the hallways, her breakfast uneaten. Something was obviously up.
She was a good dog.
She lived with us for almost 8 years, from July of 2008. She was a rescue and initially much bigger (and more powerful) of a dog than any of us expected. But she was perfect with Na Clann - never in all the years we had her did she ever growl or bite them, no matter how much they loved her or rolled on her head. If it got too much, she simply got up and moved to be somewhere else.
A devourer of all things food, she was relentless in her pursuit of it, constantly lurking about waiting for something to drop (who will I share my apples with now?). Her ability to hear the sound of the refrigerator opening - from any room of the house - was almost psychic. She was a great defender of the home as well, barking if anyone walked by or up to the door (and probably moving more than one solicitor on to the next house).
She delighted in chasing squirrels in the yard although she never caught one, developing a technique whereby she would walk up to the back door as if she wanted to be let in, then suddenly turning and running back to chase the squirrel which had foolishly decided to come down as she was (apparently) going it.
I will miss her. She was my constant companion around the house during the day, always interested in what you were doing (especially hoping you had food). Sometimes I had to stop doing Iai because she would walk right into the line of my draw, looking for a pet. She loved her walks at night, constantly driving me to distraction when she had to stop and sniff virtually everything destroying any chance I had of actually getting an aerobic workout.
I keep turning to my left even now to the dog bed by the desk, where I keep expecting to see her curled up in a ball.
Nighean Dhonn made an observation as we waiting there after she had fallen asleep, noting "It is lucky that it is Easter weekend so that we can remember about death and resurrection." Would that I could think of such a profound statement in a moment of sorrow.
Godspeed Syrah. We will meet again someday.
The lose of a good dog is one of the hardest things. Our old girl died Dec 26, 2015. Keep the good memories close.
ReplyDeleteThanks. We fortunately have a ton of good memories to recall. Sorrows on your own loss as well.
DeleteWow sorry to hear about this. I know a good pet is a terrible loss. I still miss my Piglet and it's been over a year since she died. She was always right there with me no matter what I was doing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Preppy. I think the thing that is the most shocking is how quickly it happened. Two days ago there seemed to be nothing wrong at all.
DeleteI am finding I miss her in the small spaces of my life. You are right, they were always there no matter what you were doing.
TB - i had to put down my baby girl (cat) who was born in my lap. they took us to a private room and i held her when they injected her and they let us stay over an hour in the room holding her even tho she had passed.
ReplyDeletea haiku for Syrah the Mighty (and for all dogs and cats and other pets in the world):
they love like no one
is looking, because they want
us to feel loved
i know that you have read my Uncle Gerald's blog and have him listed in your skilled bloggers, but i want to make certain that you go and read this post of his, it is so especially heart-warming and lovely.
http://thelastrobin.blogspot.ca/2009/12/our-dogs-and-cats-alive-again.html
you'll cry your eyes out - but they will be tears of joy! because Uncle Gerald told me, and wrote about, seeing our pets again. and Uncle Gerald knew things that normal humans do not.
i am sending you much love as losing what we call a pet when it is actually a family member, is the same thing as losing a family member. please allow yourself to grieve...for as long as it takes. but remember that Syrah the Mighty is waiting to run across that field to meet up with you again!
always your friend.
kymber
Thank you Kymber, both for the haiku and the link - especially the link. I had read it some time ago but had completely forgotten about it.
DeleteThanks for the kind thoughts as well. We seem to be getting back to a semblance of normal. It is the small things that I miss most: the click of nails in the hall, the immediate rush to you when she thought you had food, her sitting about or near when I was writing. The sorts of things one takes for granted.
Much love and so much thanks, TB
Romans 8:18-22, (the Amplified Version really shines here), speaks of a reunion between all creation and man someday..... I read it often especially when thinking of a departed pet.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I need to remind myself as well (often) that all creation groans right now. This was never how it was originally intended to be.
DeleteThanks for stopping by! - TB