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Kim
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Kim was one of a litter of
puppies born from a bitch that the chef in the golf club next door rescued.
She was one of a litter of eight that the chef said he was going to
drown if he could not find homes for them. Just the thought that he
may carry out this threat prompted myself, a few friends and a few of the
waitresses to offer them loving homes. Kim was a very placid dog that
tolerated the comings and goings of other dogs, the seven cats that I had
at the time and even in later life three horses.
When Kim first came in to the house she was mothered by my black lab
X Beauty who had needed the company of another dog since loosing her
best friend Bess, another black Lab X. Her gentle nature made a lasting
impression and both would tolerate any situation without a fuss. All
that is for the fact that unlike Beauty Kim hated the car. I put
this down to the fact that her first journey in the car was to go to the
vets for her vaccinations and unusually the vet was very rough with her
making her scream and she therefore associated a car journey with unpleasant
things happening to her at the destination. This is one dog that throughout
her 14yr life only went out on the lead no more than half a dozen times.
This was due to the fact that I have my own gate in the back garden
that goes on to the golf course and also out onto the public footpath that
leads down to woodlands and eight miles of footpaths without having to cross
a road.
Kim led a healthy life up to the age of 12yrs when she contracted
Fibroid Sarcoma in one of her mammary glands. Our veterinary practice
carried out the surgery and the prognosis was given that there was every
chance that this would return before Kim even had her stitches out if any
part of the sarcoma was left in place. Thanks to the expertise
of the veterinary surgeon it was just less than 2yrs later when this cancer
reappeared in her lungs. It showed itself on a Friday night when Kim
showed difficulty in breathing and her visit to the vet on Saturday morning
could not determine the cause as they were unable to get a clear xray because
of her gasping. The suggestion was to bring her back on the Monday
morning when they would anaesthetize her to try and gain a clearer
xray. Kim deteriorated rapidly during the Saturday and I spent the
night holding her chin up to try and ease her difficulty in breathing. I
knew that I could not allow Kim to suffer another night of such distress
and made the decision that it would be kinder to let her go and have her
put to sleep as early as possible.
My daughter came over early Sunday morning which was an unusually hot
sunny day for October and while we were talking Kim left the house and
went to lay down in her favourite spot in the garden and died. I was
consoled by the fact she had taken the decision out of my hands and had
gone peacefully and by all accounts looked comfortable, asleep and at peace.
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Beauty and Kim
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