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FLYNN
My best friend The light of my life
My soul mate.
My heart has broken and it feels as if nothing or no one will be able to repair it.
The house feels empty even though it is filled with your grand and great grand children.
Knowing you live on in them is the one small comfort I have. It helps me get through the day.
I will miss you every day my man until the day that we are reunited at the rainbow bridge
where we will again be together once more and forever in a happy place.
I saw Flynn for the very first time when he was just two weeks of age. I was smitten by this little baby. I said to his breeder what are you keeping in this litter Lynne said I am going to keep this boy (connor) and send the girl to my friend in Sydney. I said what about this little one. I don’t know said Lynne. I picked this tiny thing up in my hand put him on his back in my palm and said I want him. Lynne said I have wanted a tri for years so you can’t keep him but if you want take him back to Darwin and show him then later on send him back to me. Seven weeks later I was back in Alice Springs picking up my precious boy who we called Flynn. I picked him up and put him on his back and nursed him like a baby. He just lay there letting me do it (he never let anyone else do it with him). He wasn’t the best in the litter actually everyone said god what it that horrible thing you have he is terrible surly you’re not going to show that. I said just wait and see he will come good one day. Within days of Flynn arriving in the house he and I were becoming inseparable which proved to be a good and bad thing at times. At first Flynn couldn’t win against his brother only when he was in a class on his own could he win. I would watch the judges faces and I knew what they were thinking are you kidding lady bring this pet with the only thing good about it was the big fluffy ears. There was no body and the gawkiest looking thing on four legs. We had our work cut out for us that was for sure. Nine months later I had moved to QLD and had Flynn and his half brother Zac campaigning them in the ring. The looks from everyone in QLD and Northern NSW were no different to Darwin.
Flynn loved the ring and from time to time it was his temperament and energy that gave him his wins.
When Flynn was 13 months old the breeder decided that she wanted him back so off the Alice he went. He didn’t last long fretting for me so bad that he would just sit in the middle of her yard barking all day and night and refusing to eat. After complaints from the neighbours and many a trip to the vet she decided to send this piece of crap back to me. I was over the moon that my man was coming home. When he arrived he went mad and wouldn’t leave my side for days. Our bond just became stronger than ever.
We got back in the ring 3 months later once I got weight back on him and he was starting to become competition for Zac. When Flynn was 2 years of age he became the swan I knew he would become (he was always the swan to me). Flynn got 3rd in a very big class at the EKKA then took a large dog challenge and runner up best of breed three days later at the Toy dog show over not only Zac but a very strong line up of dogs from QLD, NSW and SA. This was his turning point and there was no stopping him he gaind his Australian Title very quickly with many BOB and Class in groups not only inQLD but NSW and Victoria. I retired Flynn just after arriving in Victoria and took him to Dogs Victoria and had him assessed and of course qualified with flying colours to be a Pets in Therapy dog. We visited a home in Broadford where he brought joy to many special needs people and elderly. One person I remember fondly is a gentleman who did not speak English. He was Chinese and the staff had a lot of trouble getting him to participate in any activities. On the second visit Flynn made to the centre the staff brought him out to “meet the dog”. He sat on a chair next to me looked at Flynn and gestured to me if he could pick him up. I picked Flynn up and handed him to the gentleman who then put Flynn on his lap and stroked him while speaking to him in Chinese. After about 10 minutes he put Flynn down bowed at me said thankyou and went back to his room. This became their ritual every week for the next 6 months till we stopped visiting due to me going back to study full time. I often wonder what that gentleman said to Flynn on our visits and it made me feel very happy that my best friend brought a little bit of happiness to this man.
In 2008 Flynn had an enlarged Testicle so I decided it was best to have him Desexed. I found out that is was cancer and that we had gotten it in time.
Eighteen months ago I came home to find that Flynn couldn’t walk. I was very upset and got straight onto the internet to find a massage person for him. I found one rung her (pawsitive animal therapies) and she was at the house 2 hours later (10pm). Melissa was a god send and I think if it wasn’t for her caring hands that my beautiful man would have been lost then. Melissa visited weekly for the first month then after that every three weeks till his time was up on this earth.
I came home on 21 September 2011 to find my best friend in pain and not eating. I thought oh he is just having an off day and kept an eye on him. The next night when I got home he hadent eaten for 24 hours and had lost nearly half his weight and I found a tumour on his right hip as big as a golf ball. I was worried (understatement) and rung my friend in tears the next morning (I knew in my heart what had to be done). I rung the vet and made an appointment for the next morning (hoping against hope he would be fine by the time I got home) . The next morning Brighton and I made the worst trip of all time to the vet. I couldn’t help it I just started to cry as soon as we got into the room. I knew what the vet was going to say I knew it was for the best but it was still the hardest thing for me to deal and cope with in my life(I am crying even just typing this). While the vet got ready with the needle I picked my best friend up put him in my arms and kissed him told him how much I have and always will love him and that I will never get over him. Flynn just looked up at me as if he knew what was happening and they he just gave a look of its ok mum I will be ok and out of pain soon and I will always be there to watch over you from above. It took just seconds for him to leave this earth. It took me twenty minutes to be able to put him on the table in the surgery and leave him there. We were never apart for more than a couple of days at a time.
Our house feels very empty these days. I still have to stop myself from looking at the lounge where he would lay and say coming to bed old man. I still walk into the house expecting to see him at the door with his great grandson and get that heavy feeling when I realise my man Flynn isn’t there and will never be at the door to welcome me ever again.
Corinne O'Connell Newcastle, NSW, Australia Phone : 0411707693 Email : [email protected] |
