Tuesday, 12 November 2024

Ziggy

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. 

25 comments:

  1. How sad. Sending my best wishes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hope you feel comforted knowing you gave him a good life.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Remeber in the coming weeks and months all that love you gave and received from Ziggy and just maybe you can give a loving home to another sweet pet.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a shock! It seems just yesterday that he arrived in your blog, with gorgeous photos of puppy Ziggy with the children. I am so very sorry to hear this news, and send condolences to you all. I am sure he will long be remembered by anyone who reads your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A lovely tribute to Ziggy. They love us for all of their life, and we remember them for the rest of ours.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is so sad for you all. My thoughts are with with you, it is so hard to lose a pet, especially suddenly. He looked a lovely boy. Regards Sue H

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm so sorry, Gillian. Sending lots of love. Xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. I so so feel your pain. Ziggy was indeed a beautiful dog.We lost our dog, "Stan the Man" two years ago, very suddenly like you. We left with him to visit family one morning and had to return without him as he just died while there. Returning home to find my son had left a part of his meal for him as a treat was upsetting. But I know you will, like us, come to think of him as a special gift in your life which you couldn't keep forever.

    ReplyDelete
  9. so sorry for your loss, its a terrible thing losing a pet. xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. So sorry, Gillian. I loved seeing photos of Ziggy…..such a sweet dog. ((((((Hugs)))))) and love to all of you.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So so sorry for your loss. What a terrible shock.
    Such beautiful photos & memories of a much loved family member.
    Arohanui/much love from Aotearoa-New Zealand xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. Noooo...I'm so sad to hear this. I always enjoy the pix of him on your blog. This happened way too soon. My heart breaks for your family. We also just lost our girl, Sophie, about a month ago after 14 years. I posted about it on my blog if you'd care to read about it. Everytime I re-read, it tears just flow. www.artisun@blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. So very sorry for the loss of Ziggy, who obviously was so much part of your family. I hope you can take some comfort from the thought that you gave him a lovely life and that he was so loved Sending love to you and your husband and children

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dogs are family. I've lost one dog suddenly, and one from old age - the first was shock it had happened, the second shock (and disbelief) we were strong enough to make *that* decision. It is never easy, but it does get better, I promise. Thank you so much for sharing Ziggy with us. xx

    ReplyDelete
  15. Such sad news. That last goodbye is so very hard. Love the plan to plant a tree in his memory. (Might have to copy you as we recently said farewell to our beloved Boo.)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I am so very sorry for your loss. Ziggy was absolutely lovely in every way.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I’m so sorry for you all, Ziggy was indeed a lovely boy, I know it’s no comfort at the moment but you gave him a beautiful life. sending love.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh no!! What a shock!! Our furry friends are family and there's a terrible hole when their gone. I still miss cats I had 20 years ago. I miss Toby and Jason, the best dogs ever. It takes time, but time does help.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm so sorry to hear about Ziggy, losing a beloved pet is like losing a member of the family. We lost our lovely greyhound Lucky very suddenly last month, I understand how heartbreaking it is x

    ReplyDelete
  20. Solidarity. sis. We lost our boy earlier this year: like Ziggy he was not that old, and it was completely unexpected. It hurts like f……
    I understand. x

    ReplyDelete
  21. It was devastating to lose her, I'm sure. My heart goes out to you.

    ReplyDelete
  22. My eyes are tearing up. I could tell by your lovely blog that Ziggy was a wonderful member of your family. Ziggy lives in your hearts. Take extra good care of yourselves!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I am so very sorry for your loss. They leave a huge hole in our hearts. Jennie🐾🖤

    ReplyDelete

Hello there! Thank you for leaving a comment. I read them all and I always try to answer questions, although sometimes it takes me a while.