DINKY

You came into my life just over 3 years ago, when I found out from a friend that the first 6 years of your life you had been neglected and abused. You were a little minature silver/blue yorkshire terrier with little tan feet. Oh what a state you were in underfed, a mouth full of bad teeth and abcesses, nervouse and so frightened and barks constantly with a deep unusual frightened bark. Your long coat was matted and dirty, your skin full of flea ezcema and I knew right there and then I would love you dearly and you would love me.
First thing we had to do was get your teeth attended to. The vet didnt think you would pull through. 18 teeth you needed removed and you must have been so frightened, and wondered what was happening to you and you didnt know any of the people around you.
I collected you the next day, your mouth was sore and bleeding and I sat up all day and night with you in my arms telling you it would be okay.
You did pull through that awful experience . Your first walk outside must have seemed
like a real frightening world. You didnt know what a park was, you certainly hadnt seen grass and a pond and swans and all the people. The minute you were placed on the ground you ran, anywhere, and fast hehe. It wasnt long before you were happy to go to the park every day, people began to get to know the little yorkie with the funny bark. Your skin healed and your coat became all silky and beautiful. We got you a lovely hair cut and you were just so cute. You only had one front tooth to hold your tongue in your
mouth and when you were content your tongue would fall out to the side and you were even more cute.
Your breathing was always laboured and i just knew that there would be problems, regular visits to the vets, showed that you had an enlarged heart and the start of bronchitis. Must have been all that time outdoors, tied up in all weathers. Your legs were all bandy with getting constantly tied and tangled in the rope they used to tie you.
Oh how could anyone hurt my baby !!!
You were given the best of care, your favourite food, and you had a favourite toy, a little red baby - and you would go and get it for us when asked and eagerly pay tug and chase it about, you even cared and loved it. It was your baby as you were mine.
This year you began to show signs of further illness and had fluid in your lungs. Oh those water pills were terrible, you hated having to 'go' all the time and it upset you so.
And colic started to come into play and you would sometimes cry with the pain, but we got rid of that and the fluid lessened but then you had bother breathing it got worse and worse and polyps which were badly infected despite 8 lots of antibiotics were diagnosed in your nasal tubes. You were suffocating slowly and they couldnt remove them. Sometimes you were gasping for breath and the last 3 months you slept in my bed, head on the pillow, cuddled up to me, for comfort, but things did not improve.
Finally I held you in my arms, tears streaming and kissed you to sleep as the vet relieved you of the struggle to live.
Daddy and I loved you so much my baby and I am sure your pal Abbe misses you to.
My heart is broken and the house is quiet, It will never be the same home again.
Wait for me little boy, I will lift you in my arms again and this time you will be well and we will run and play together and you can sleep on my lap anytime you wont. love you always.
Dinky Born 1990
Died 10/09/1999
By Ann Lister
Ann.lister@net.ntl.com