Post by jude on Oct 17, 2009 10:24:11 GMT
When my soul girl Neli died, I was asked on another forum to write a tribute to her. At the time I wasn’t making much sense, in what was to become one of the most dreadful weeks of my life. I said I’d do it properly on the first anniversary of her leaving, and also made the same promise silently to my Nel, telling her I’d post it on that other forum and on here. So, I hope no one minds me taking up some space and keeping my promise. Please, please don’t feel you have to read any further, I just have a promise to keep.
Neli came into my life from the local Animal Sanctuary when she was about 2 yrs old. She was taken to the safety of the Sanctuary after being spotted hiding in the barns and outbuilding of a farm, it took 10 days to catch her.
It quickly became apparent that Nel had been abused, severely abused, and categorised as possibly un-rehomeable. As I’d only ever had rescue dogs I was fully aware of some of the ‘baggage’ that rescue dogs carried, and thought that given time, patience and understanding in the safe environment of a caring home, Nel would eventually learn to live with her fears and enjoy life.
Sadly, that was never to be, the extreme abuse she experienced in her young life was too severe for her to ever forget, and for the following 16 years she lived with those terrors daily, too mentally scarred with fear to forget.
It took her over 3yrs just to show an element of trust in me, .....and to be trusted by Neli will remain one of the most humbling experiences in my life
Such were the horrors previously inflicted on her, I was the only human she would allow near her for those 16yrs. Nel would go into hiding, or run away the minute she saw a human being, even if they were regular visitors. Fortunately we lived in a very remote location with no near neighbours, so her contact with the outside world was kept to a minimum.
People used to ask how I coped with living with a dog like Nel. I always found this a strange question because the way I saw it, Nel was the one who had to cope with living with a human being !
Yet what people didn’t ever see, was what I eventually saw, well away from the eyes of the world.....my precious Neli, living life like any other dog, the happy carefree life that all dogs deserve.
I can picture her now in my mind running over the fields with her tail held high, leaping over fences, playing in the river, Neli the matriarch ruling the other dogs in the house.....not another person in the world saw this.
Nel also had a secret which she eventually chose to share with me, she showed me that she was a trained working sheepdog ....and how she loved showing me her skill. No one ever believed me that she could work sheep and there was no way of showing anyone as she wouldn’t let anyone else into her world.
During her last week, Neli showed no obvious physical signs of what was about to happen, but she knew, and I also sensed that she was trying to tell me something because her behaviour was very uncharacteristic....thankfully I couldn’t work out what it was.
Because of her extreme fear of humans, it was very difficult to do anything to her. Every innocent hand held object directed at Nel. eg, a brush, a camera etc was viewed with sheer terror by her.
Imagine the scruffiest bedraggled sheepdog ever, that was Nel ! To groom her was as traumatic an experience for me as it was for her because I preferred keeping all my fingers Yet that last week, for the first time ever, she lay quietly and let me groom every knot and tangle away.
I have so few photos of Nel, and most are ‘sneaky ones’ taken before she realised I had a camera in my hand, and sadly they nearly all show the fear in her eyes. Days before she died, she sat in front of me and willingly let me take a few photos....another first for us, and sadly a last also.
My precious Neli. died very suddenly but peacefully in my arms a year ago on October 4th 2008 aged about 18, her tormented mind finally at rest. Part of me went with her, and her pain will live with me forever.
I’ve had many dogs over the years and loved each and every one equally but the bond between me and Nel was extraordinary, I could read her like a book, she could read me like a book......Precious Neli, my soul dog.
On October 10th 2008, just 6 days after my Neli went, Jack aka Methusalah, her partner in crime for over 16 years, very unexpectedly joined her. Jack, an absolute horror for 15 yrs, and an absolute darling for the last 18 months of his life when he became senile.
I have so many memories of Jack's horrendous escapades throughout his long life that I could write a book about him, if it weren't for the fact I'd be incapable through laughter.
It's good now to be able to look back on his long reign of terror in our house, and laugh hysterically at the things he got up to.......I certainly didn't at the time !
What a character, he put years on me........but he loved me to bits and walked many a rocky road by my side. Woe betide anyone who tried to come near me, (even if I wanted them to !)...cos he'd have 'em.
Jack and Nel were an item, working in partnership throughout their very long lives, Jack was the fuse and Neli the dynamite.
When he died so suddenly 6 days after Neli, I remember a very good friend saying that they were like an old married couple and perhaps he just couldn’t go on without her. Maybe that’s true.....they certainly bickered enough !!
As devastating as it was at the time, I now find it comforting that Neli and Jack went together.
Jack my protector, a little man with a big ego and no brain, and Neli, my soul dog – partners in crime.
Neli came into my life from the local Animal Sanctuary when she was about 2 yrs old. She was taken to the safety of the Sanctuary after being spotted hiding in the barns and outbuilding of a farm, it took 10 days to catch her.
It quickly became apparent that Nel had been abused, severely abused, and categorised as possibly un-rehomeable. As I’d only ever had rescue dogs I was fully aware of some of the ‘baggage’ that rescue dogs carried, and thought that given time, patience and understanding in the safe environment of a caring home, Nel would eventually learn to live with her fears and enjoy life.
Sadly, that was never to be, the extreme abuse she experienced in her young life was too severe for her to ever forget, and for the following 16 years she lived with those terrors daily, too mentally scarred with fear to forget.
It took her over 3yrs just to show an element of trust in me, .....and to be trusted by Neli will remain one of the most humbling experiences in my life
Such were the horrors previously inflicted on her, I was the only human she would allow near her for those 16yrs. Nel would go into hiding, or run away the minute she saw a human being, even if they were regular visitors. Fortunately we lived in a very remote location with no near neighbours, so her contact with the outside world was kept to a minimum.
People used to ask how I coped with living with a dog like Nel. I always found this a strange question because the way I saw it, Nel was the one who had to cope with living with a human being !
Yet what people didn’t ever see, was what I eventually saw, well away from the eyes of the world.....my precious Neli, living life like any other dog, the happy carefree life that all dogs deserve.
I can picture her now in my mind running over the fields with her tail held high, leaping over fences, playing in the river, Neli the matriarch ruling the other dogs in the house.....not another person in the world saw this.
Nel also had a secret which she eventually chose to share with me, she showed me that she was a trained working sheepdog ....and how she loved showing me her skill. No one ever believed me that she could work sheep and there was no way of showing anyone as she wouldn’t let anyone else into her world.
During her last week, Neli showed no obvious physical signs of what was about to happen, but she knew, and I also sensed that she was trying to tell me something because her behaviour was very uncharacteristic....thankfully I couldn’t work out what it was.
Because of her extreme fear of humans, it was very difficult to do anything to her. Every innocent hand held object directed at Nel. eg, a brush, a camera etc was viewed with sheer terror by her.
Imagine the scruffiest bedraggled sheepdog ever, that was Nel ! To groom her was as traumatic an experience for me as it was for her because I preferred keeping all my fingers Yet that last week, for the first time ever, she lay quietly and let me groom every knot and tangle away.
I have so few photos of Nel, and most are ‘sneaky ones’ taken before she realised I had a camera in my hand, and sadly they nearly all show the fear in her eyes. Days before she died, she sat in front of me and willingly let me take a few photos....another first for us, and sadly a last also.
My precious Neli. died very suddenly but peacefully in my arms a year ago on October 4th 2008 aged about 18, her tormented mind finally at rest. Part of me went with her, and her pain will live with me forever.
I’ve had many dogs over the years and loved each and every one equally but the bond between me and Nel was extraordinary, I could read her like a book, she could read me like a book......Precious Neli, my soul dog.
On October 10th 2008, just 6 days after my Neli went, Jack aka Methusalah, her partner in crime for over 16 years, very unexpectedly joined her. Jack, an absolute horror for 15 yrs, and an absolute darling for the last 18 months of his life when he became senile.
I have so many memories of Jack's horrendous escapades throughout his long life that I could write a book about him, if it weren't for the fact I'd be incapable through laughter.
It's good now to be able to look back on his long reign of terror in our house, and laugh hysterically at the things he got up to.......I certainly didn't at the time !
What a character, he put years on me........but he loved me to bits and walked many a rocky road by my side. Woe betide anyone who tried to come near me, (even if I wanted them to !)...cos he'd have 'em.
Jack and Nel were an item, working in partnership throughout their very long lives, Jack was the fuse and Neli the dynamite.
When he died so suddenly 6 days after Neli, I remember a very good friend saying that they were like an old married couple and perhaps he just couldn’t go on without her. Maybe that’s true.....they certainly bickered enough !!
As devastating as it was at the time, I now find it comforting that Neli and Jack went together.
Jack my protector, a little man with a big ego and no brain, and Neli, my soul dog – partners in crime.