Meg


It was the Flower Show Committee meeting tonight, a meeting which always goes on a bit, as it is the first after the Show in August. It was dark when I got home ( a sign that autumn is officially here) and so after feeding the dogs and taking them out for a walk, we all settled down under the living room standard lamps to snooze.
Over the past nine months or so, Meg has been suffering from " absences' or petit mal fits. On average she experiences them once every two weeks or so, and her symptoms generally consist of vagueness, aimless repetitive behaviour and disorientation which lasts no longer than two minutes or so. Other than that , she remains a fit and health elderly Welsh terrier.

Tonight she suffered one of these " mini fits" as she sat on my knee, and after the usual bout of confusion, I laid her down on the floor to sleep it off for a few moments.

As she peacefully slept off her neurological insult, I watched over this little scruffy dog who had become such an important part of our lives over the past decade or so.With her little baby milk teeth, sad needy expressions and nervous , battling personality, she is not the easiest of canine characters to deal with but I have always been moved by her stubborn loyalty to me, who she sees as her constant pack leader.

I watched her steady breathing and tiny little twitching feet for a long while and I thought

How funny it is that this,  a little scrap of a dog, has such a powerful grip on me.  Especially as  she gets older ........with hints of grey in her  muzzle hair and a cloudy look in her sad eyes.

53 comments:

  1. Oh John I had tears in my eyes when I read this. My old girl was just like that and I miss her every day.

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  2. They sneak their way deep into your heart and refuse to leave...ever.
    Jane x

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  3. don't i know this. teddy is my life!

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  4. She is a beautiful girl, and I am sure she loves her pack leader dearly, as he loves her.

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  5. My two older chi's are my whole existence. I can never face the fact that 'll probably outlive them both

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    1. I fully understand - but the real tragedy is when a beloved loyal dog outlives his or her owner in my humble opinion x

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  6. John,

    Our dogs (any pet) are like our own kids. Meg is a cutie, Beans and Bug (our dogs) would love to pal around with her.

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  7. This really moved me. You clearly love that that little dog so much. x

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  8. I love my dogs so much.

    Love,
    Janie

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  9. Oh, I hear ya, John. They capture our heart, don't they. I love my old dog so much. Deb

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  10. another one here with tears in her eyes. Our beloved Bogart (black lab mix) is getting older, bit more grayier and dare I say starting to slow down. He has worked his way into our lives and our hearts in a million ways, including snuggling all his 80 pounds on our bed at night “when it gets cold”.

    love him to bits

    I can not imagine the day when he is no longer here.

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    1. ahbless! the late great wandering terrier Sooty used to insist on sleeping right next to me under the quilt (coming out now and again when it got too hot under there!) saving me a fortune on heating bills x

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  11. We are just lucky to have them in our lives,with their trust and their unconditional love, and the downside is that we usually have to see them grow old and infirm and face losing them. But how much sadder would it be if/when they outlive us? x

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  12. One content looking dog, John.

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  13. Oh John, don't say those things. My mate of 11 years has slowed down such a lot over the past year and has lumps and bumps all over him. I can't bear to think of being without him. I just hope he goes quietly in his sleep - and the same for your lovely Meg.
    Damn pets, they worm their way into our hearts and then break them. :(

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  14. Some bonds can't be defined!

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  15. I don't know what's worse. That I know that my old girl is slowing down - or that she knows it too....

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  16. treat her well, john. my meredith is 12 and I don't want anything to happen to her; she's MY girl.

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  17. Our animal family gives us unconditional love and how easy they wrap us up in that love. Meg and you are very blessed to have each other.

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  18. Lump in my throat...My Dachshund Rowdy had become unable to walk his hind legs having given out and we carried him everywhere...I sat up a baby play pen next to our bed for him to sleep in...he used to sleep under the covers right next to me for 11 years. On my last trip over to your area I was uneasy leaving him. He passed away 3 days before I returned home and I miss him so much. I think he was grieved at my being gone. Crying now as I so often do when I think about him or talk about him. I cared more for that little guy than I do most humans. Enjoy your time with Meg.

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  19. Anonymous11:02 pm

    So hard to watch them grow older and so very hard to part with them. I hope you have some quality time left with your girl.

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  20. Tears here as well. (Hugs to you and Meg.)

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  21. I sure would love that little, sweet Meg too. She's your special girl and has a good life with you. And besides...she is positively adorable.

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  22. Life would be meaningless and absurd without dogs!

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  23. Well John this post has touched a chord in a lot of us. Our pets are so important to us aren't they?

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  24. Oh John tears in my eyes.
    What a lovely post today with such a sweet photo.
    I too have sat and watched Dr. Watson my 15 year old Scotty sleep. With his myriad of health problem every day is a gift.

    cheers, parsnip

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  25. I've had to take two Elkhounds for their final visit to the Vet and each time they looked so peaceful. I miss them both every day.

    WonderCollie is six. He's in great physical shape but starting to slow down.

    I'm praying he goes to sleep, he's a great dog and deserves a good ending.

    Ear scratches and butt sniffs to Miz Meg

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  26. We love our animals so much and it is so hard to deal with their too short lives. I hope Meg has a few more good years ahead of her.

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  27. I know exactly how you feel John. So sad for you and Meg. Tears in my eyes. I have been missing Abby the Airedale and Winston the Welsh a lot lately. It will be almost a year (next month) since Winston's passing and I miss him dearly. He was so ornery. And my Dixie has been picking up some of Winston's habits! I think he is visiting us in spirit. I always say....when we get a dog, we are going to have a broken heart someday. We just are.

    Cindy Bee

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  28. I think dogs and humans are more closely related (genetically) than the boffins dare to admit. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I become more emotional over the ailments of dogs than I do of most humans.

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  29. Anonymous5:22 am

    This morning we returned the dog we had been looking after for three weeks. I won't miss taking him down in the lift three times a day to perform his bodily functions and exercise, ok, it was shared. But I will miss his eyes looking at me with affection and without judgement. His trust in us to do the right things for him was expected and done.

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  30. I find the difficult pets evoke just as much feeling as their easier housemates.It's hard to see them grow old or infirm or both. I hope she has more time with you yet, and you with her.

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  31. Please give the dear thing a gentle stroke from me, telling her that we ALL love her so very much.

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  32. Love......it's called love.

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  33. They wind their paws deep into our heart strings don't they?

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  34. oh god, I am broken...

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  35. omg, that was too much, I have tears in my eyes here.
    Briony
    x

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  36. Anonymous1:03 pm

    My dear dear John,

    Anything living appears "to have a powerful grip" on you. Why else would Tom have come up with the marvellous idea of christening you St Francis?

    Not that I wish to be a Megan, happy being myself. However; There are traits she and I share. I too have absences though no 'petit mal fits'. Getting a little longer in the tooth my teeth not of the 'baby' variety any longer. However, I do NOT do needy (because I am not a dog) though do share her "battling personality". If I don't get a bone a day I have to dig up old foes.

    Megan, do enjoy your rest. Here is to you. You don't know (or may be you do) how lucky you are to have John looking out for you.

    Stubbornly loyal? Me too.
    Ursula

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  37. What a cutie she is!

    They really do become part of the family. I've lost more than a few family members and friends, but I can honestly say the loss of my cat last year hit me the hardest.

    <3

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  38. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. No idea what happened here. However, all I left was a simple ♥ because sometimes I don't know what else to say, except *hugs*.

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  39. So sad when age starts taking its toll. Since our Betty got her wheels she has become very attached and panics when out of our sight

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  40. Beautifully observed. You are a poet, John.

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  41. Tears in my eyes reading this.

    I always think of this blog as a version of 'My family and other animals.' One of my favourite books as a child! I hope you make this blog into a book-it would be a best seller!

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    1. It was my favourite novel as a child
      Perhaps it has rubbed off a little eh?

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    2. I think it has :D

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  42. Anonymous10:37 pm

    Bless her precious heart.

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  43. This made me tear up, too. She does love you so much, John.

    Phoebe, my oldest cat, is starting to look more like a grimalkin, and like some old people, she's fussy and unhappy if she can't keep to her schedule. I do try not to colour too far outside the lines as i don't want to upset the old girl.

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