Goodbye….

When we start a blog post it is never easy.  We know in our heads and hearts what we want to write, it’s getting all those thoughts out into written form which is the tricky part.  Hoping that we are telling the story just as it’s in our minds.

This story that we want to tell you is particularly hard and we are writing this with heavy hearts and tear filled eyes.

We’ll take you back to December 2004.  We popped to Paul’s mates house one day to go see him and have a catch up.  His dog had just had 5 of the most beautiful Staffordshire Bull Terrier Pups.  Kelly wasn’t interested at all to begin with saying, ‘she wasn’t too keen on the breed and always wanted a Boxer’.  Paul however had other ideas and knew she would change her mind.

4 of the pups were fighting were very boisterous and playful and one little female pup kept hiding behind the sofa peeking out at the other pups.  She was timid and ended up sitting on our knee while watching the other pups.  She chose us and she was called Daisy.

At the time we didn’t even own our own home and lived at Paul’s parent’s house so we had to get their permission first by giving them a call while they were on holiday in South Africa.

Now, like most pups keeping you up all hours, not sleeping, pining for their mum Daisy didn’t do this. Possibly because she slept on the bed with us.  Ok, a little confession here, she slept in the bed under the covers with her head on the pillow between us both.  I know people frown upon this but we didn’t care we loved her.

We took her everywhere we could.  She cruised in the car with us.  No car boot for our girl she often sat up front with us.  She went on walking holidays, camping holidays and we often took her to visit family and friends.  She’s a very placid little love and we adored having her with us all the time.

Some months later we bought our first house and Daisy spent many a day in the dusty house as we were renovating it for us to live there and make it home. Keeping an eye on her Uncle Lee (Paul’s best friend and head of plumbing works) and licking his head. She also loved licking her Uncle Neil’s head too (Paul’s bro in law). Uncle’s got their heads licked a lot whenever Daisy was nearby.

When we got engaged, Daisy was probably the first to see the engagement ring and congratulate us on the next stage of our relationship with big cuddles.

In 2008 we took off to St.Lucia to get married and had to leave Daisy in the kennels for three whole weeks.  It was so hard leaving her but coming back pregnant was even harder.  Daisy had been spoilt rotten by us for 4 years and now we were about to bring a new born baby into her life.  We worried, as you do.  There are many stories of Bull type dogs attacking children but we knew in our heart Daisy was a very kind and loving girl.

On 11th June 2009 we brought Fearne home for the first time.  We let Daisy out of the house onto our drive and popped Fearne down on the driveway in her car seat.  Daisy approached her whilst we kept very close to her to introduce our new addition.  Daisy sniffed her and then she licked her hand so gently.  From then on she didn’t move from her moses basket or pram.  She’s protected her from day one.

In 2014 (just before she was 10 years old) we took her to the vets as she wasn’t too great.  She had a pot belly, drank masses of water, was very lethargic and wouldn’t walk much.  She was diagnosed at the vets and she had diabetes and cushings disease.  The two together were particularly hard to treat but after many visits to the pet hospital a 2 1/2 hour drive away a few times a week, Daisy came home with a boat load of medication to take.  Over the next 4 months we had to inject her daily with insulin and in a check up at the beginning of 2015 she had fought the diabetes and no longer had it.  She was still poorly with the cushings disease but she was able to remain stable with lots of medication she had to take daily.

Over the past 6 months Daisy has deteriorated quite a lot and we had to visit the vets this weekend where it was decided she has fought enough and it is her time to go.  We knew in our hearts this was going to happen at some point  but to hear it broke our hearts.

So as I press publish on this post we are walking out of the door to take Daisy to the vets for the last ever time.  We will stroke her fur for the last time, tell her how much we love her for the last time and come back home with an empty lead.  We cannot tell you how much love, pleasure and fun this little girl has brought us.  I am so glad that she chose us because she has quite simply made the last 12 years bloody awesome.  We don’t want to end this post feeling sad so here are some of the things we want to remember her by.

• The time that the teacher pulled Kelly to one side at school when Fearne was in year 1.  She told Kelly that we really need to sign Fearne’s sister up to the waiting list soon for nursery.  Kelly looked blank and the teacher said ‘Her sister Daisy’.  That was a funny one to explain.  Fearne really does refer to Daisy as her sister.
• The time that she was trying to go for a number 2 on the drive way.  She looked like she was in pain so Kelly rubbed her tummy and she pooped out a full size ice lolly stick.  How her insides weren’t permanently damaged we do not know.
• The time when another dog tried to bite Kelly when she was walking Fearne in the pram.  She fought the dog that was about 3 times bigger than her to protect both Fearne and Kelly.  The first and last time we ever saw Daisy have a fight with another dog.
• When we stupidly went camping at the end of March up in the lakes in 2007.  All the other tents had heaters and all sorts.  We had our Argos tent and a quilt cover.  We both cuddled Daisy so hard that evening her body kept us warm and stopped us from freezing.
• How we always used to come home to find Kelly’s underwear on the bedroom floor. Daisy used to dig them out of the laundry basket even if they were near the bottom without getting any other item of clothing out of the basket.
• For a dog she HATED going out for walks! You would get out her lead and she would do anything but head to the door.
• The time she hung off a 10 foot broken tree branch in the park for about 5 minutes trying to claim it as her own stick. Needless to say the branch won and stayed attached to the tree.

Daisy has been through a house renovation, a new baby, Paul working away, Kelly working away, holidays, floods, good times and bad times.  She has seen everything between us.  She has been there to greet us at the door when we have had a shit day and was always so happy to see us.  She gave the best cuddles, was the BEST at listening and has been the best companion and family member you could ever wish for.

Goodbye little Daisy (Big D, DaisyChain, Daiz, Daisy May, Daisy Doodles and all the other crazy names we have called you)

We love you and Thank you for choosing us. You’re forever in our hearts.