Thank you

Thanks to everybody who left a comment or sent me an email regarding Blue. I've cried at every single one of them & am still very upset by her loss. Over the past year or so we've said farewell to too many animals or so it seems. However Tia, Monet & even little Vince had all long healthy lives & as they started to age I prepared myself mentally. Even though we were sad to say farewell we did it when it was their time to go. But I feel cheated about Blue as she was only 7 years old & far too young to die. She loved life so much & was such a clever dog. A couple of years ago I couldn't work out why I kept coming home to the kitchen door wide open until we saw her turning the key in the lock one day & open the door!

Annie on the other hand is a bit dense in the nicest possible way. She adored Blue & looked to her as a leader & playmate. She was howling whilst Blue was at the vets but is eating which is more than I expected. She's been trying to persuade the kittens to play with her which hasn't been at all successful. Lyra in particular adores 'her dog' but just doesn't understand Airedale Paw Slaps & Play Bows! Annie is bouncing around trying to get a reaction & the cats just look at her in a very superior way and don't bounce back much to her disgust.

I've found it really hard with just one dog as I wasn't prepared for Blue to go. The last week whilst we were waiting for her results I had a good idea it was terminal but it isn't the same as watching a pet slowly getting older & creakier. DH was at first very opposed to getting another dog citing finances (as prices have risen so much in the past year) but today I received notification of a decent bonus from work that I'd forgotten about so he's relented! I've found a breeder less than an hour away who has a 4 1/2 month old ADT dog puppy available. So DD & I are collecting DH from work tomorrow with Annie & we're all going to meet him. Hopefully the dogs will get along ok & if they do we could have a new recruit by the weekend. We've decided to get a pup rather than an adult via rescue due to the cats & also Annie's health problems. As she has severe von Willebrands Disease we need to ensure that she won't be attacked & I think a puppy is therefore the best way to go. I've decided to get a male this time as I don't want to replace Blue which it might seem like if we got a bitch & he'll give me something to focus on & help with the pain. In time I know that the photos of Blue will help but at the moment I'm still welling up every time I look at them.