<html><head></head><body><div class="ydp79f12017yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><span><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm">Thank you all so much for your emails. It helps to know so many other people cared about my boy.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><br></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm">As many of you will remember, Rolph has
been using wheels for a good few months now – and he loved getting
out and about, sniffing and making friends – oh boy, did he know
how to get the sympathy vote.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><br></div>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm">Inside the house things were more
difficult for him. He was an expert scooter, pulling himself along
with his front legs across the laminate floors. Until quite recently,
he even managed to haul himself up a flight of seven steps when I
wasn't looking! I really thought he was unstoppable.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm">However, a coupe of months ago he
developed CCD – doggie dementia, or “sundowners”. This left
him crying for hours on end in the evenings. The vet put him on
medication, which seemed to help for a few weeks, but it was gradually
losing its effect.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm">He had been doubly incontinent for a
long time which bought its own challenges, especially to my washing
machine, and over the past couple of weeks his front legs had started
to fail while he was out in his cart. One evening, as he hauled
himself over to me, he looked me in the eye and I realised I was facing that awful decision. It was the hardest I
have ever made.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm">The vet came to our home on Monday
afternoon and helped him slip away gently. Clara and I were with him,
me stroking that beautiful fur and telling him what an amazing boy he
was, and Clara rifling the vet's bag for treats. She took no notice
of what was going on, nor came to see him when he passed.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm">I have been dreading this day. The
house is horribly quiet. My heart is horribly broken.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm">Sally, with Clara, UK and Rolph ATB –
tell the Beagles to watch out, that boy is a kitchen clearer!</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm"><br>
</p></span></div></body></html>