Memory of Tess my old Labrador.

Today is a day that will always be special and a day that I will never forget.  This day, 5 years ago, I had to put my black Labrador, Tess to sleep.  At the young age of 5 she was diagnosed with a severe case of Mast Cell Tumours and at the time the vet predicted that she would have just weeks to live.

The cancer was extremely aggressive however the decision was to fight the cancer and hope for an improvement after surgery.  After hours on the operating table the veterinary surgeon made things clear that the outlook and prognosis was bleak.  Despite this news and further surgery that she had to incur over the years, miraculously Tess lived for another 6 happy years.

Tess was like a rock through the difficult times in my life and the relationship we had was immense.  She knew exactly how I was feeling and always ensured that I was smiling.  I never had to question her devotion or loyalty to me but exactly 5 years ago I was faced with the worst decision ever and have always wondered how you ever know when it’s the right time.

Tess had recently had a number of operations but this particular day she stumbled whilst we were out walking.  I could see in her eyes that she did not want to get up and was gradually losing the fight.  The look in her eyes was if she was trying to tell me something and it was at that moment that I returned home, took some last pictures before walking her across the field to the vet.

She was a very special dog and her memory lives on in the name of “Tessleymoor”, I will never forget the moments and special times that we shared.

Posted: December 17, 2013