We very recently lost our lovely whippet Ziggy. He was only seven and it was very unexpected. It has been a horrible shock. As anyone who has lost a pet will know, the hole they leave in your lives is huge and it takes a while to get used to it. We miss the pitter-patter of his paws on the floor, the "thud" of him jumping off the bed upstairs when he heard a packet open, the way he always appeared whenever the coffee machine started up, eyeing the treat cupboard hopefully. We miss letting him out for a bedtime wee, standing outside, staring at the moon while waiting for him. We miss the way he would jump into our bed once he heard the alarm go off, knowing it was morning and "allowed", burying himself under the covers. We even miss the way he was hazardously underfoot during all food preparation, or how he'd sneak off his bed towards the end of a meal, hopefully resting his head on your thigh for a bit of leftover sausage. Bella always used to leave a little of the meat on her plate "for Ziggy". The sound of knives and forks being placed in the middle of a plate was his sign to start skulking under the table. We miss the routine of walking him, whether it was a short "pavement" walk locally or a longer stride through the countryside. The way, off the lead, he would linger behind sniffing then race on ahead of us. In short, we miss everything about having him in our lives. We were so lucky to share our home with him for so long: he brought us together as a family and made life better in so many ways.
We have wonderful memories of him (and so many photos!) and have planned a few things to make us feel better. We are going to buy a silver birch tree and plant it where he always used to dig at the fence and bark at the neighbour's dog. We will print photos and display them around the house. We are walking his favourite walks and missing him but enjoying the walking. We still have his lead hanging on the hook by the front door. The house still feels horribly empty and quiet but being busy helps, as always.
Ziggy, you were the best dog.
