19/07/2026
These tributes are getting harder and harder to write.
Perhaps its because I have written so many over the years, or perhaps its the guilt of the ones that I didnt write a tribute for (yet)
of which there are quite a few.
Sometimes its just too hard to write, the words won't come, only tears. Each death, links to those gone before, reopens old wounds that have never healed, and adds to them, and it just becomes impossible to revisit their passing long enough to type a tribute without falling apart.
These animals have been my life, and always will be, whether they are still with me in body or in spirit, we are inextricably linked.
Each life, is linked to the rest in so many ways, and some like Betty bear, have been linked to pretty much everyone over the last fifteen years, thus making this particular tribute a very difficult one to write, but i am determined to do it, and to revisit all the ones whom i have missed over the years too.
Betty was one of the OG. The charmed group of dogs who lived in our home, and somehow for the most part managed to get on incredibly well.
She was handed into the pound as a tiny puppy back in 2011, where she didnt eat or drink and simply sat and shook. The pound owner, John brought her into the clinic fearing her to be very unwell, and we kept her there, unable to find anything clinically wrong with her, to try and get her to eat and relax.
She didnt.
She was simply terrified. I decided it was unfair to keep her alive in that state of fear any longer, and i went into the clinic to let her go.
I had big Flo with me, our wonderful, friend to all, hairy lurcher, and thankfully had brought her inside with me (to make her sick after she had eaten something she shouldnt have!) i had her loose in the theatre, and i went to get Betty, to let her go.
I carried her into the theatre, and the most magical thing happened she took one look at Flo and the quivering stopped, or well i should say it changed. It went from a full body shiver, to a full body wiggle, her eyes lit up, her little tail drummed and as i set her on the floor she rushed to greet Flo with such happiness and joy I could hardly believe it! Flo showered her with kisses and this little baby staffie had a second shot at life.
home she came to join our motley crew.
She always preferred dogs to people. She was at her happiest surrounded by as many of them as possible, making special friendships with Flo, Larry, the boxers: Sophie and Polo, and of course later on, meeting and bonding with her BFF'S Annie and Frank, the terrible trio!
With me and Rob she was affectionate, but never confident. For many years she did not want to be alone with us.
if she needed a wee and no one else was going outside, there was just no way she would go with me or Rob on her own, she had to have back up.
her fear of humans was deeply entrenched, even though she came across as confident, she was far from it. All of her confidence came from her canine friends. Unfortunately that led to a few bite incidents with humans she didnt know, and It was only in very recent years that she didnt mind being alone with us, or came to us for comfort if she was scared, and that played a big part in my decision not to go down the diagnositics and treatment route for her suspected cushings.
It may have bought us more time with her physically, but repeated blood tests, scans etc would have likely cost her the confidence and trust in us that took over a decade to build, and I couldnt in all good conscience do that to her.
She needed to find safety in us, especially as one by one her friends left her for the other realm, I did not want her to have the slightest if or but about how safe she felt with us, and i think we acheived that.
in fact I dont think, I know.
If you have ever had a staffie in your life, then you will know how strangely resilient they are. A problem or disease that would knock another for six, will barely take a sting out of a staff, it can be hard to know when they have had enough, but eventually, they will tell you.
Rob and i have debated for a long time whether or not it was time to let her go, the hot weather had made things slow right down for her, she spent all her time in front of the fan in the house to escape the heat, but of course at 15, with extreme muscle loss, the lack of movement begets even more muscle loss and this vicious cycle ultimately made us make the decision for her.
It was hard, but it was time.
Betty will always be remembered as a huge character, far bigger than her stumpy legged wee body allowed for. She made many mistakes in her wee life, that in someone elses home may have cost her her life, but not in ours.
we recognise that those mistakes were ours too. Things we should have prevented, a dog being a dog is not something they should ever have to die for, though sadly they do every day of the week, but not our Betty.
We learned from our mistakes, got better at prevention and continued to love this strange little character with our whole hearts.
She was here for the cabins "bunged to the rafters" stage when we had 18 dogs in there, and she loved every single dog that walked in there. She was the mobile ear cleaner, the class clown, the friend to all, our pumpkin on wheels, who found joy in tiny things, like spending a half an hour playing with a small piece of felt from a tennis ball, or a piece of fluff, (she never played with actual toys, prefering the bits that fell off them, to throw in the air, chase and roll with) lying in the sun, haring round the field , or simply tumbling around for the craic like some kind of demented bowling ball.
In her last few months, her best friend became Emily the cat.
Emily was always there for cuddles, or mutual ear washing, she made sure Betty was toasty in the winter, what coudl be better than a blanket but a self warming cat scarf of course :)
She slept a lot more, and it was comforting to us, with our busy lives, that she always had company with her, when we couldnt be.
Little Emily is feeling lost right now. I can see it in her, i can recognise it, because i feel it too.
Betty was a wee legend, one who it felt like had always been there, and always would be, but as with all things... it had to end.
Thats the cruelty of love, knowing that one day, you will lose them. No if ands or buts, you will.
We open our hearts to them, knowing that down the line they will be shattered.... yet we still do it.
that my friends is uncondtional love right there.
Betty, you were far from an angel, but you were our girl. You taught me so much over the past 15 years, and I pray that you enjoyed your life as much as it looked like you did, and as much as we enjoyed having you in ours
