Fife and Scotland - the offbeat perspective

In Greek mythology, the word Zoe means life and was a good and highly appropriate name for a sprightly pup although it didn't start out that way. We took her home from the local kennels and where she was clearly suffering from 'kennel cough' and was in dire need of a good bath! We knew nothing about her past but the age estimate of fifteen months was probably accurate and placing her birth in early July 2000. We picked the 4th of July, American Independence Day, because it was an easy date to remember. We had our first vet visit a few days later so her general condition could be assessed and to get treatment for the kennel cough. A proper course of vaccination was started and she soon recovered.

Months later, while parked at Longniddry Beach, we let Zoe have her first free run on a beach and where she promptly disappeared from sight. Looking around, I was amazed to see her trotting behind a car of different make but of similar shape and colour. I called out to her then watched as she stopped then ran towards me. It was the first clue that Zoe's eyesight was less than perfect but it wasn't a major issue.

It took time but Zoe settled in and as time progressed, I learned to trust her common sense more and where I could even walk her close to cars on a pavement and where she learned never to venture on the road. Neighbours would refer to her as the 'street dog' and where she lived most of her life without need or use of a leash.

On occasion, young children would rush to pet her but I knew they'd be okay because she was meek, timid and highly intelligent, without the merest desire to harm anyone. In truth, my greatest fear about children petting her was that young children might get the wrong idea and attempt to pet other dogs of a more aggressive nature. More than once, I'd remind children, in a kindly way, that not every dog reacted in this way and that it was always best to ask 'mummy' first before approaching a dog. I say this because at heart, a dog is a domesticated wild animal with deeply ingrained wolverine instincts to greater or lesser degree and always capable of reacting in an adverse fashion given a certain or unusual set of circumstances. Zoe was a truly remarkable exception and where she could easily have been the runt of the litter and had suffered much in her previous life. She woulld have been usless as a sheep dog because the sheep would have bullied her but as a family pet, she was ideal.

On one occasion, my absent minded stepdaughter offered to walk Zoe to the local garage and came home without her. On asking where she was, my stepdaughter realised that she and her boyfriend had tied her up then forgotten about her. Fortunately, Zoe was still at the garage when they returned else we might have needed to claim insurance help to advertise her as missing!

For most of her life, Zoe was fit and healthy but in 2008, she jumped over a small fence and fell badly. For a few days, she was rested but long walks were obviously difficult so a visit to the vet was necessary. They prescribed usage of a drug called 'Metacalm' and where oral injection was based on weight using a plastic syringe. For the next few days, it was as if Zoe had 'left the planet' and was largely unaware of who and where she was. Although hardly qualified to make such a statement; it seemed to me that morphine might have been an ingredient of the medicine. Without advisory, I reduced the dose by half and prior to the decision in which she would be x-rayed for chipped or broken bones. In this activity, the vet needed to render her still and unconscious. A blood test was taken to ensure safe application of drugs and surprisingly delivered results concerning the absence of some enzymes and indicating the first signs of the kidney disease that would ultimately lead towards her death three years later. The x-ray proved there were no broken bones but also revealed the first onset of arthritus. A few days later, she was slowly getting back to her old self and regular walks were resumed.

In July 2011, Zoe suddenly became reluctant to go walking and went off her food. I tried soft food for a few days with some success but even that stopped within a few days. I tried milk and mint and again with a short success but it was obvious that her weight had begun to decline sharply. A blood test at the local vets revealed high degrees of blood toxicity and indicating kidney failure. The illness that had been hinted at in 2008 had finally arrived despite good health during the intervening period. The prognosis was grim and the professional advice was to let her die with dignity. Given this situation, and to prevent further suffering, I signed the paper and delivered my best friend into the afterlife! The local vet sent a card of sympathy some time afterwards and representing far more than my pet insurance company ever did. Zoe died on 26th July 2011.

Coming as it did in the wake of other deaths in the previous decade; mother, father, wife and brother, I've realised that 'people and pets come and go' and where anger or any form of resentment represents a waste of precious time that can never be recovered. On this last page of the website, I offer this advice;

Live your life for the present and appreciate the people and pets in your life because tomorrow may be too late!