As we farewelled Ronda our soft-hearted labrador, the grief was as painful as any I’ve felt |
Each time a family dog dies, I go over it all again and decide that the intense grief is far outweighed by the joy the animal brought to our lives.
And so it is yet again with Ronda – the raven-black, shiny, fine-boned labrador, soft-hearted and so very beautiful, euthanised after spending 12 of her 13 years with us.
Dog people know that all canines are different. Some dogs are funny and eccentric. There are extroverts and introverts. Pack leaders and followers. Some are angry. Some are mean. Some dogs are super-smart, others are bone lazy.
The best way to describe Ronda is that she was kind. She was kind to all other dogs. And she was kind to humans – not just to her own people but to all she encountered. Her love for her human and canine family was as unencumbered as it was uncomplicated.
In her later years especially, strangers could sense her kindness – could see it in her eyes and her flailing tail. They would stop (when she could still do her daily long walks; a tumour in her chest kept her largely housebound for her final year), remark on her beauty and ask to pat her. She would make way for other dogs. Sit patiently while the yappiest, most alpha mutts barked at her and tried to boss her. Toddlers could yank her ears, poke her eyes and pull her tail. She’d lick them in return.
Amid the rivers of tears, and the heartache at losing a being so central to our family, come the........