Farewell to my furry little friend

When the first great cause of things left man to evolve with time, he put a lesser body, a fragment of love divine, to give to the poorest beggar a love that would make him a king. To kiss the hand that is empty, when fortune and friends take wing. As a name for the small creature, reflecting the love of God, man spelled his creator backwards and called his small likeness DOG.
V.M Elgey (Thank you Graham)

I fell in love with my little golden doggy the first time I saw him eight and a half years ago. We met under dubious circumstances as I had just been burgled in my little flat in Stellenbosch, and feeling extremely violated and vulnerable, I rushed off to the SPCA to find myself a ferocious guard dog.

I came home with Luigi.

 

He chose me I think...I was caught off guard by the mass of golden curls. With no manners to speak of and gorgeous big brown eyes, he stole my heart from the word go. An unlikely choice for a guard dog, he actually surprised us all by being fiercely loyal and a companion that I knew would keep me safe as long as he lived.

Probably the most travelled pooch in the whole country, anyone who knew us during varsity days will know that he went almost everywhere with us; to the beach during study breaks, on wine tours, up the wild coast for weekends away - he was a remarkably adaptable traveller who never made any fuss about being in a car for long periods.

The great trek home from Stellenbosch to Nottingham Road was undertaken with ease, and the trip always felt a little bit shorter with him riding shotgun, his happy little head hanging out the window with his tongue flapping in the wind.

He crept into our hearts, and the hearts of all of our friends.

Always the happiest little dog, even to the end. You will be missed terribly my boy, I'm so sorry you are gone, but I hope that you are resting peacefully and in no more pain. May you finally be able to jump off balconies and fly after those annoying hadedas, and may your heaven be a big mud bath that never ends. Thank you for teaching Guinness and Frankie all about us and regaling them with your stories about your adventures - I'm sure they will miss you as much as we will.

Sleep well little dog. Good boy.

Hope when you take that jump
You don't feel the fall
Hope when the water rises
You built a wall
Hope when the crowd screams
They're screaming your name
Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

Hope that you fall in love
And it hurts so bad
The only way you can know
You gave it all you had
And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain
Hope when the moment comes,
You'll say

I, I, I
I did it all
I, I, I
I did it all
I owned every second that this world could give
I saw so many places, the things that I did
Yeah with every broken bone
I swear I lived

Hope that you spend your days
And they all add up
And when that sun goes down
Hope you raise your cup
Oh, oh oh
I wish that I could witness
All your joy
And all your pain
But until my moment comes
I'll say

I, I, I
I did it all
I, I, I
I did it all
I owned every second that this world could give
I saw so many places, the things that I did
Yeah with every broken bone
I swear I lived

With every broken bone
I swear I lived
With every broken bone
I swear I

I, I, I
I did it all
I, I, I
I did it all
I owned every second that this world could give
I saw so many places, the things that I did
Yeah with every broken bone
I swear I lived

 (One Republic - "I Lived")