My dog Didi died yesterday.
I had him for eleven years. He was a rescue dog from Romania and had a rough start in life. By the time he came to me he had already been hit by a truck and had an injured back leg that dangled from the hip. He couldn’t really put weight on it. He was frightened of lots of things and bit several men.
After years of love and care his behaviour improved a lot and he became more confident. I walked for miles with him every day around the paths and tracks around my country home. He loved rootling in the woods and chasing squirrels. We spent all our time together as I work from home writing and running my past lives therapy business.
He was protective of the house and barked at anyone coming near it. He defended my honour from postal workers and delivery drivers. People in high viz were not to be trusted by Didi. He was still frightened of large dogs but would react by barking and snarling at them rather than cowering away. His bravery was astounding.
He helped me such a lot with my anxiety and I always felt confident when walking with him. He would defend me with his life.
The most important lesson he taught me was unconditional love. He loved me more than any creature ever has. I have always found people difficult to live with but Didi was easy to love. He loved snuggles and good food and long walks. Other than that he made no demands. We went on lots of British holidays together: Cornwall, Scotland, Cumbria and Yorkshire. He enjoyed them all. We often went on day trips at weekends to the beach and the forests.
He died of pulmonary fibrosis which is incurable and he was having difficulty breathing at the end.
Some Christians say dogs don’t go to Heaven but I know that they do. He will be waiting for me on Rainbow Bridge with all the other pets I have known.
I am currently in the intense pain of grief and just want to be alone to think about Didi’s life and how much I love him.
Love lasts forever. It is what we are here for. Dogs just instinctively know this. They are our teachers.
RIP Didi. Until I get there.