All the animal kids!

So this was the picture in our house until a week ago, but sadly we lost the Ridgeback cross Labrador, Sokkies, to distemper. According to the vet, a classical case of a young pup not having its first vaccinations. We fought long and hard, even put her on a drip, but in the end it was more humane to have her euthanized.

I got home, in such a state of emotional pain, to find my beloved white Labrador, Bonjo, displaying similar symptoms. The next two days were horrific, and by last Friday morning, we realised that he was not ill from distemper (which was unlikely as he had had all his shots and all of them had boosters when Sokkies took ill), but that he was in fact dying of heart-failure. I cried all the way to the vet, and he died in my arms. I quote from my Facebook status:

“Thanks to all who have given us their prayers and thoughts. Sokkies and my beloved Bonjo are probably running around, flirting as they did a little before she took so ill, in Heaven. Yes, Bonjo died this morning, from heart-failure. He was just an old boy, he did not get the distemper virus from Sokkies. But, as Belinda and Allister both said, the truth is he knew he was love every second of every day – even when he chewed up the irrigation system twice under age 2. And I’ll never be able to blow dry my hair in the morning without looking out for him who loved a warm gush of air over his back, and always came nudging for it. And of course I’ll always look for him when I get out the car so he can help carry stuff. O how proud he always was with the paper, packet or bottle in his mouth! He was showered with kisses these last few days, all the time, and he still walked with me, slowly, but happily, around the house. See you again one day my most beautiful Big Boy!! Monsieur Bonjo. Ma loves you, Allister loves you, Bee loves you, Pa loves you, your ex-pa loves you, Celia loves you, Auntie Marietha, Oom Johan and Aunty Linda love you, and all who know you, could not help but love you! Say hi to Tai, Marius, Cleo, Ouma and all the other loved ones in Heaven my boy. Be good.”

RIP my beloved Bonjo.

Adopt a dog month October – Go on, adopt a dog at the SPCA or your local shelter! (suletta.com)
My beloved dogs killed in cold blood (suletta.com)
Do animals go to heaven? (suletta.com)
Austin Humane Society helps rescue animals from floods (kvue.com)

About suletta

Fell in love again at age 50! And followed my man to Zanzibar, for him to set up a dairy farm. I managed to travel into Africa a few times in my life, always loving it and experience the "fever" that grips you on African soil - the one that especially the Europeans now and in years gone by, suffer from. Except I am an African by birth - a South African. A Mzungu.So I discovered at this late stage in my life (not that I feel old!) that some people find my babblings about life interesting, and I quote: "live their lives vicariously through me".

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