Buon Viaggio Milly

Well I didn't expect my first post of 2011 to be about the death of our little dog Milly. She'd had a troublesome tooth for ages, but on Saturday she started having fits and when our vet investigated on Monday he found a large tumour in her mouth and under her eye and so that was that. She was put to sleep peacefully with me stroking her pelt and now she is buried on our land not far from Chiaro the cat.

She turned up on our doorstep in 2005 covered in ticks and decided that we would be her new owners and we didn't argue. She was about two or three then. I'd never owned a dog before and for the first couple of years she was much more Sue's dog than mine. But as I worked to shake off depression, lose weight and get fit, Milly became my walking and then running companion, braving distances of up to 15 kilometres without complaint and always staying the course.

She taught me a lot about loyalty and affection. She would have laid down her life without question to defend me or Sue and all she ever asked was a tickle on the tummy (and a sack load of dog biscuits). She was cranky with guests and other dogs, but with us she was always gentle and always completely trusting. To be trusted that deeply by another animal is an enormous privelege and a great responsibility, which I did my best to discharge in the difficult last three days of her short life.

Buon viaggio Milly and thank you so much for all the unadulterated pleasure you gave us and will continue to give in my mind's eye.