'Dee-Dee'

More than a bit sad tonight. I've just heard that Julia's dog Darcey had to be 'put to sleep' yesterday. She's been suffering from various 'lumps' recently but this week she deteriorated fast. A scan showed that she had malignant tumours in her liver and spleen.

Eight years old. No great age for a dog but 'flat-coats' are susceptible to tumours it seems.

Darcey. Darcey-Dog. 'Dee-Dee' to her many friends. A dog-lover's dog. Big black aimiable giant with a heart of gold. You could roll around on the floor with her for hours. Her sense of fun was just amazing. Cheeky, obsessed with food, she could hear a sweetie paper at two hundred metres in a hurricane.

And so full of energy. If you walked one mile with her she would run at least ten and swim a couple of extra miles too if the opportunity was there. Stick chaser; duck scarer, a jumper into rivers and canals and licker of faces and plates. Her big tail sent crockery and small children flying.

I was lucky to have had a friend like you. Too 'full' to write any more at the moment.