Tara had been in failing health for some considerable time and I took
the painful decision on Wednesday 2nd May 2007 to have her 'put to sleep'.
Since June 2006 she had been almost totally deaf (not a particular problem,
but a sign, perhaps, of what might follow). In October or November 2006 she
began to lose control of her bowel and bladder functions, having always been
a most fastidious creature with regard to her personal cleanliness until
then. Nevertheless she remained sporadically 'frisky', if much less frequently
than in her youth and seemed to cope well with the trip to Spain in January
2007 where she seemed to enjoy herself enormously. This continued until a
couple of weeks before our departure from Spain in mid-April 2007 when she
began to show signs of increasing lethargy; nevertheless she seemed to cope
quite well with the return trip to Scotland. However roughly three or four
days after our return to Nairn her health seemed to spiral downwards
precipitously and several visits to the vet during the last week of her life,
when her existing medications were adjusted and complemented by additional
medication, have failed to stabilise her condition, instead it continued
to deteriorate. Her heart and lungs have been under pressure for the last
few years and I think she had become completely worn out. In the final few
days she ate very little and drank only very small quantities of water and
was unable to get out of her basket, without assistance, particularly after
having been in it for any length of time. Indeed she spent almost all of
her final week there and because of her erratic bladder and bowels two or
three bedding changes were required most days.
I was with her when she was euthanised and she went to sleep very peacefully;
within 20 seconds of receiving the injection her body went limp, with a tranquil
expression on her face, and less than half a minute later the vet was able
to confirm that her heart had stopped. So at least I have the comfort of
knowing that her final moments were peaceful and that she suffered no pain.
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Kennel Club registered name - Sunshine Bell U03
A couple of photographs of Tara taken just one day prior to her death
on 1st May 2007, as I wanted to have some small mementos of her as she was
then - a very frail and elderly dog, but in no physical pain
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Taken on a rocky promontory at a beach in Spain (west of Mazarron/Bolnuevo,
Murcia Region), on 13 March 2007. Tara seems to be enjoying the pleasantly
warm weather here at this time of year. |
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An impromptu shot taken in the kitchen on 13 November 2006 |
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An even more recent photograph, taken on the beach at Nairn in March
2005 |
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A much more recent shot (November 2002) |
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A winter shot taken perhaps 11 years ago (1996 or thereabouts) |
Tara was a sable and white Shetland Sheepdog ('Sheltie') born on 6 June 1994;
she came to me on 5th September 1995, when she was roughly 15 months old.
Tara was a good-natured, intelligent dog. She was, of course, the real
'Boss' of this household. |
