So long Spud

There was talk in the media last week about a study that showed women care more about their dogs than they do their partners. Of course, it wasn't a serious study, just a survey of pet owners, see here if you're interested to read more. I thought how threatened must PracticalMan be living in a house of three dogs?

Well, today that number shrunk to two as we made the difficult decision to put our beloved golden retriever Spud (noble sounding name I know) to sleep. At the grand old age of nearly 15, and we'd hoped he would make it, Spud suddenly deteriorated overnight. As hard a decision as it was to make, it' was obvious that there was no alternative if we wanted to spare him any suffering.

The Dish (daughter, for new readers) is devastated. Spud had been there every minute of her life. Lifelong friends, they've shared many happy moments together. Spud made me feel safe when PracticalMan was away even though he'd have made any intruder his new best friend. At our previous house, Spud was very smart at finding new ways to escape the back yard but it was never hard to find him. We knew we'd find him at the local shops, curled up under a cafe table, gladly receiving any titbits anyone cared to throw his way. Being such a gorgeous looking dog, he got plenty.

So long dear friend.

Spud, gone walkies.