We are often asked about our pets. Both Tom and I grew up in homes were dogs were very much part of the family. Hence, we are both animal lovers. For Tom, his childhood companion was the family dog Ringo (a boisterous border collie). I, myself we had a cheeky West Highland Terrior called Chalky and later two adorable Cocker Spaniels, Gemma and Lucy.
Having fallen in love the Cocker Spaniel breed, we decided to have a dog of our own when we set up home together. Along came Nessie (named after the Loch Ness Monster of course with Tom being Scottish). From the moment she became part of our family she wound both of us round her little paw. An adorable, affection dog with a very high intelligence. She was a constant companion, a great talker, loved her walks and frolics on the beach and in the sea.
When work took our lives took us in a different direction and we decided to make the move to Australia, we antagonised what would be the right thing for Nessie. Could we take her with us or should she stay and live out her days with our daughter and family? After consulting with her vet, Nessie was given the OK to travel to Australia, despite her age (she was 13 at the time). The Vet saw no reason she couldn't do the trip.
We will never forget the day she arrived into Australia. It was New Year Day, a day when the temperature hit the 40 degree mark (a high for the time of year) and Nessie was wearing her winter coat!!!! First job was to have her coat clipped and quick! Quarantine was for 30 days and we visited her every day. She loved the climate (at this stage she had a bit of arthritis, so the heat was a blessing). She really thrived in Australia and all the misgiving we had had about the trip were quickly forgotten.
She lived the last years of her life in contentment, snoozing on the deck under the shade of the verandah and going for walks along the beach. The day that we had to say goodbye to our beautiful little dog has got to be one of the saddest days of our lives. Not only had we lost a funny little character with a wonderful personality, but we had lost our best friend too.