Hard decisions..

Almost 4 and half years ago, we adopted a rescue dog to be pals with our girl Millie. Millie was a cross staffie with collie and very energetic, and we needed a lovely calm dog, who might be able to calm her down too. We were so lucky to have a wonderful cross staffie with lurcher dog join us. We called him Reiver. He was a dark version of Milie and larger and he quickly became a beloved member of our family. Having reared five children with my first husband, we had no time to take on animals as well. So this time around,with my second husband and all the children now grown up and living away, we could have time to have a couple of fur babies. This is what they have become. Our dogs have lightened our lives and become so much a part of everything we do. This big dog we called Reiver, and he thrived. When we first had him, he was very insecure, having been really badly treated by his first owners. As a puppy he was left in a small bathroom all on his own for the first year of his life. When he was found abandoned, his back legs didnt work and he had to be carried around. He was just one year old when he came to live with us, and gradually he learned to trust and love us. He didnt like men, and it was a couple of years before he felt able to kiss or lick John my husband. He slunk away whenever he saw a broom, so one can imagine what that represented to the poor darling. At first he could not jump up on to anything, gradually easing his big body up to sit beside us. However after a couple of years, his legs became stronger and he started to be able to feel strong enough to jump , but over this last year, he has been going down hill. The repidity that this reduction has happened has been utterly awful. Now the poor darling can barely walk, his back and front legs refuse to obey him and he cannot stand well, and keeps falling over. We had originally taken h im to the vets, because he had a developing bald patch which was gradually taking over his whole back... however after a lot of tests, we were no clearer what was causing this.. Then the legs started to play up more, and in the last two weeks the front ones went. We are crying inside, because we have had to make the choice of letting our brave loving boy go to the Rainbow Bridge where he can run free again, and on Monday the Vet is coming to help us ease him into the next part of his journey. We are devastated to have to make this choice, but there is no option. The feeling is that has to have been a brain tumour that has acted this quickly and with all the tests in the world, it is not going to make him better. Whoever those Beasts were who had him first, gave him this legacy and I hope they rot in hell for what they did to my darling boy. I shall miss him so much, but his pain has to end.. He tries so hard to do normal things then just falls over and looks at me. I feel that we are right to choose for the Vet to come,but its so hard to say goodbye. He is only 6 and should have had a lot more years of loving yet to come. My boy Reiver and his sister Millie, looking out at the garden and no doubt watching the squirrels**