Dolly's Story (Tailends 28.07.07 - 19.06.08).

Dolly arrived on 28th July from a South Yorkshire dog pound where she would have been put to sleep if she had not been rescued. She was quite poorly on arrival and needed antibiotics for a tummy infection. She has a large lump on her neck which is probably benign but she has very nasty tumours on several mammary glands. It is very sad as if surgery had been done earlier the problem may have been sorted but now this would require a Mammary Strip which is not advisable for a dog of this age. (Our vet thinks she is probably about 14yrs old.) Dolly has had a chest x-ray to ensure the cancer had not spread. Happily this was clear so we are hoping that Dolly will have some months to enjoy her time at Tailends. She has settled in very well and loves the greyhounds and other dogs here. She is a sweet little girl who is very eager to be accepted by the others. Dolly loves her food and the walks on the beach. She jumps for joy when let off the lead on the sand though I have to keep a close eye on her as she is deaf and cannot be called. She joins Ben and Holly in the Tailends' Deaf Club and most of the others in the Cataracts' Club. Dolly has had a dental as her teeth were in a very poor condition when she arrived here.

Dolly became very ill in February of this year and was diagnosed with Pyometria. I did not have her spayed when she arrived as our vet was not certain as to whether she had already been done and did not want to subject her to further surgery because of the mammary cancer. However we then had no choice. She seemed to recover well but soon became ill after having picked up a bug from somewhere. She was hospitalised for several days on a drip and came home on the 7th March. Our vet thought she would not survive for long and I prepared for the worst. However she made a full recovery and went on to fully enjoy the next three months.

My dear little Dolly passed away yesterday (June 19th 2008). It was a terrible shock as she had been doing so well since her illness at the beginning of March. There was no warning that her cancer had progressed to its final stage. She had been enjoying her walks through the fields and jumped around happily in the sunshine. She had slept well through the night and took her treat when I left her to take the fittest dogs on the beach early yesterday morning. However when it was her turn for a walk, she was very lethargic and had to be taken back to her bed. She did not want any breakfast and preferred to sleep. I soon realised that this was no ordinary sleep and called the vet who came out straight away. There was nothing which could be done but give her one last cuddle as she was helped to slip away peacefully to join all the others who have left this world for a better place. Tweenie has been very quiet since losing her little friend and sadness has come again as we mourn our sweet girl. She came here on 28th July 2007 so had less than a year at Tailends. I will remember her as a happy bouncy girl who enjoyed every minute of her time here - a far cry from the depressed doleful character who waited in a dog pound just a year ago, not knowing what her fate would be.

I am sure you are playing right now in the green fields where the sun always shines and the buttercups never die. We will meet again one day, dear Dolly. Keep having fun until I get there.