R.I.P Totty

We had a sad day at the kennels today. Totty, a regular inmate, died in her kennel and I found her. Poor little thing - she'd been in for 30 days (her mum is a mad old lady with far too much money & has been in South Africa since well before Christmas) and was due to go home on Thursday! I was so upset, thinking that she'd died all alone, not even in her own home. She'd obviously had a little fit and just died in her sleep - the best way to go I suppose. She was about 20, so she's had a really good innings. It's still sad though....

There is actually a more comical side to this little tale....

After I'd found her & gone running out to Jeff in a quite melodramatical way, I telephoned her owner's son (he also brings his dogs here, but is not away at the moment). I told him what had happened and asked him what he would like us to do with her. Jeff had offered to bury her in the orchard. It's a lovely little spot and we thought it would be a fitting resting place for a dear little dog. The son agreed and thanked us for offering and told me not to worry (I got a little teary you see), and he said that he would let his mother know for us. I relayed this message to Jeff and off he went in his wellies, armed with a spade to set to digging a hole. Luckily Totty isn't a Great Dane, she's just a little Jack Russell. Something tells me he wouldn't have been so forthcoming with his offer of burying her if she had've been. That's just my cynical side talking though - Jeff is a very lovely person. Jeff, remember the type of ring I said I'd like.... Anyway, I very bravely took Totty's collar off of her - I guessed that her mum would like to keep it & off I went after Jeff with her in her little bed, up to the grave he'd dug. We put her in very gently - I was a little teary again by this point & we made sure she was tucked in all nice and then covered her with the soil. We said a little prayer, I put a twig in to mark the spot & then we came back to the house for a well earned cup of tea. Tea makes everything better, doesn't it?

The phone was ringing as we walked down to the house, but we let it ring & I listened to the message when the kettle was boiling. It was the son. He'd decided that maybe we shouldn't bury Totty and that his mum might want to see her before she was laid to rest. Ooops. I telephoned him back, only to be told by his wife that he was on his way round to the kennels to tell us this news in person. He arrived and I told him we'd already buried her. He said he thought that was where we probably were when he telephoned. OF COURSE WE WERE! YOU TOLD US TO BURY HER! I wanted to scream. Jeff offered to exhume her. The son said 'ok'. The look on Jeff's face was a picture. I mean, if you could see where we'd buried her - and I did show the son - you would agree that it's a lovely little place. Totty's mum could've planted something there if she'd wanted to and she knows that we all loved Totty. Anyway, off Jeff went, spade in hand, wellies back on, tea not drunk & dug her up. The son then asked us if we could keep her until his mum got back from holiday. Where exactly he thought we could keep a dog's body for 4 days without it going somewhat off, I'm not sure. We're a boarding kennels, not a bloody dog mortuary. The offer of a burial was beyond our remit, I'm sure! We said we didn't have anywhere to keep her, trying to disguise the looks of total disbelief from our faces and off he went, with Totty in a sack.

It could only happen to us.

Rest in peace Totty, I know you're up there in doggy heaven, running about like the little lunatic I'm sure you once were. You're a Jack Russell after all.

VP x

PS the bread came out ok after all. Could've done with a bit more salt maybe, but was definitely edible and more importantly, didn't make us sick! Oh, and Edward & Tubbs are very happy piggies today - they got a radio in the barn to keep them company. Last seen, they were body popping to N.W.A