Angie

Last week just before we left home for the airport, I fed the two small dogs and Grant fed Angie. I patted each dog; the cats had already gone into the garden and we left.

While on holiday in SA, I posted this photo of Angie and Megan resting on the patio 

When we got to OR Tambo airport Johannesburg, and I turned on my phone, I saw several missed calls from Rina. I rang her back, and she was sobbing. She said when she'd returned home, from dropping us at the Bloemfontein airport, Angie was lying against the side of the house. Her abdomen was swollen en  she was frothing at the mouth. 

I told Rina to make a solution of lukewarm saltwater and while John held Angie's mouth open, to pour it down her throat.  I thought of poisoning and hoped this would help Angie to bring it up. They did this but nothing helped. She just kept fading. Rina and John (who loved Angie) kept calling her name and holding her head. Within ten minutes, Rina says her eyes faded and she stopped breathing. 

Rina phoned me back at the airport and sobbing, she told me the news. She said she, John and Erica (my house-lady) were stunned. Likewise,  Grant and I. We sat and tried to work out what could have been the cause of our beautiful Labrador's unexpected death. She'd just had breakfast; I'd trained her from a puppy, to only eat when I gave her a secret sign. So she wouldn't have taken poisoned meat from someone at the fence while we were driving to Bloemfontein. Also, poisoners operate at night - not in the morning when people were driving along the streets.

On Saturday Rina attended a birthday party and the subject of Angie's sudden death came up. A lady who helps the farmers with horse illnesses, and also seemed to know about animals, said that Labradors were prone to getting twisted bowels. And this was probably Angie's problem. Nothing we could have known. It also happened so quickly, we couldn't have got her to a vet (60kms away) in time to help her. 

Many of my followers may remember when we got Angie, a rescue dog, from the SPCA. As a tribute to a dear dog, who was so gentle with children, cats, the other two dogs and her owners, but a watch dog of note when the need arose, here are some links of her just after she joined our family.

BTW, if you have time a quick Internet, it's worth it to check these links. Angie was the most exuberant and cheerful puppy. As a mature dog of four years, in October this year, she still remained very happy and but most serious about her job of protecting us and our property in Marquard. 

here , 


here, 


here

and

here

REST IN PEACE, DEAREST ANGIE