Yesterday the time came for my long lasting best friend and pet Gwenivere to pass away. She was my first “on my own” dog, and a steady companion since she was just a puppy some 17 years ago. For a Labrador, she had a very long and filled life, she never gained weight that is typical of the breed, and was always eager to play. She was very intelligent, having house trained herself, and teaching herself to knock on the back door whenever she wanted to come back in. As a younger dog, she would play hard and run fast, eager and willing to chase and retrieve a Frisbee, a skill which she excelled at chasing long distance throws. And she was overly fond of the water, eager to dive into the pool on a hot day and play with the kids. Once she was in, it was difficult to get her out, many times she enjoyed it so much she could barely wag her tail for the next few days.
In the end, it was purely old age that caught up – for at least the last year she had gone deaf, and her hips progressively failed. Within the last few weeks, she could barely walk and had trouble standing or moving around, but she was always in good spirits and didn’t seem to be in much pain.
With the help of my son George, we stayed with her at the vet until the end, and said our final farewells as she drifted off to sleep.
Gwenivere, you will be missed. 🙁
