Kiri 16.10.06 - 27.9.21

Hope this is ok to add this as I took it yesterday. Little did I know this would be the last picture I'd take of her. I took this in 'And back at the Ranch' way in response to J's picture (yesterday's extra) sent on our family WhatsApp from his walk with Ali, it was about including the sky.

As end of life days go, for Kiri I would say a good one, for us a total, unbelievable shock.

She had her breakfast, a little walk, where I took this. She reminded us that it was lunchtime 'toast time', a habit that J had started when he retired. She had a lick of the dishwasher plates after our lunch. Then she slept at our feet, on the rug with the sun on her, a breeze coming through the patio doors. At this stage we were a little concerned as she didn't ever sleep much, she was a restless walk round all day dog. But she was comfortable and maybe just tired. When she slept past feeding time we were more concerned, she loved her food, and would always remind us that it was 10 minutes to 'tea time'. At 5.50 she tried to get up, but couldn't stand. Then she omitted some low groans. I was straight on the phone to the Vets. They were closed but luckily offered an out of hours service. They were wonderful. Couldn't really say what was wrong, but felt it was something neurological. We decided enough was enough, she's had an amazing time since we decided to take it one day at a time back in November. We made the hardest decision, and stayed with her as she peacefully slipped away, just one hour after we initially rang the Vets.

 She was the dearest dog who always wanted to be 'Where it was at'. She was also the 7th generation of dogs we've known, owned or bred. She was a great agility dog, not the fastest, but steady and reliable. She qualified for finals and gained her Silver Agility Warrant. Her puppies went to the USA and the Continent. We couldn't have asked for more from her.

Today it's been gloomy and wet, which suited our mood.