I held his paw and slept by his side for 14 days in hospital. But it turned out, all the love in the world wasn’t enough to save him. Thus begins the final post on Life of Dozer.
My dearest Dozer,
You came into my life in my arms, holding you protectively. And after almost 14 years together, I held you in my arms protectively again as I said goodbye.
I was sobbing so hard, I forgot everything I wanted to say to you in our final moments together.
So I started writing this letter to you, to say all those things.
I wanted to reminisce about our wonderful times – the thousands of visits to the dog beach, all the wonderful food we sampled together, the cuddles, the neck-scratching-sessions, our road trips.
I wanted to thank you for spreading the joy that is you with readers all around the world, for happily coming along with me to meet readers at events, book signings, fund raisers, lunches, dinners, not to mention TV shows, photo shoots, and my gosh, we can’t forget our stint on Play School!
But as I sit here, typing away with tears streaming down my face, I realise that’s not what I want to say to you.
What I want to say is thank you.
Thank you for giving me your whole heart.
Thank you for giving me your unconditional loyalty.
Thank you for loving me just as I am, for all my flaws, for never caring what I weigh, what I wear, what I look like.
Thank you for always being there, my one constant through the good and bad times.
Thank you for making me smile, even on the hardest of days.
And thank you for trying so hard to stay with me as long as you could, fighting to heal until your very last day. I will never forget how deep you had to dig to find the strength for your rehab walk on our final morning together.
I know that one day, I will be able to look at photos of you again without sobbing. And I know all this pain I am feeling is because I loved you so fiercely and completely, and I wouldn’t trade it for a second I got to spend with you.
But right now, four days after saying goodbye, it feels like the heartbreak will never heal, like I will never smile again.
Rest in peace, my darling Dozer. I will never forget you, and I will never stop loving you.
Love,
Your mum xoxo
Thank you SASH
To the vets and nurses at the Small Animal Specialist Hospital (SASH),
Thank you for the extraordinary care, skill, and kindness you showed Dozer. Every moment, from the medical expertise to the gentle reassurance and cheering him on, meant more to me than I can say. Knowing he was in such capable, compassionate hands gave me comfort during the hardest days. I will always be deeply grateful for everything you did for my beautiful boy. – Nagi x
My dearest Nagi , I cant find the proper words to say how deeply sorry I am to read that Your beloved Dozer crossed The Rainbow Bridge !
He is now resting in Heaven , waiting for You I due time ! Blessings & Prayers for You & Dozer from Mexico City.
Goodbye beautiful Dozer. So sorry for your loss Nagi. I have followed you for years and this has left a hole in my heart. My thoughts are with you and I am imagining Dozer running freely and without pain across the doggy beach.
All my love to you dear Nagi so sorry for the loss of your best and beautiful friend.
Dearest Nagi, I write this with tears streaming down my face. I have been there 5 times now. Keava was my soul dog, 16 1/2 when we let her go. She travelled to Aus with us in 2008, enjoyed her exploration of beaches, the pool, our friends and neighbours, she was there with love and cuddles during my cancer diagnosis and treatment she left a huge hole in my heart and also in the heart as and life of Mr Maybe. He was her Aussie brother and never really recovered. We had to let him go aged 14 and 3 months. The hardest thing was the vets couldn’t find anything wrong with him he just stopped eating, broken heart was my guess.
By now we were back in the UK to spend time with our children and grandchildren. We returned in 2017 with Keava helping Mr Maybe over the shock of airline travel.
It is hard returning to an empty home but your heart is big and one day, when you are ready, and you receive a signal of some kind from Dozer you will open it up to another. In the meantime cry all you need to, rest, walk and recover as best you can.
We now have a 3 year old rescue retriever Cross with boxer and golden lab. She is nothing like our other goldies but charged into our lives as if she knew what she was here for, to help heal.
Sending love and hugs
Your loss will feel insurmountable. Thank you for sharing this personal journey. Dozer has been so entwined in our lives and we feel your pain and want to wrap our arms around you.
Sending deepest condolences on your devastating loss. Farewell adorable Dozer. xo
Dear Nagi, I’m so sad for you, you thanked Dozer, and I want to thank you for introducing him to your blogs … I have so much loved him on your Tin Eats …. your btful boy, aways up for a photo shoot, and lucky him for all the taste testings.. Peace now Dozer and thank you from a follower as well…
kind regards Nagi
Marian 😘
You were both very blessed to have each other and I am sure he thanks you just as hard as you have thanked him, a match made in heaven. We lost our pooch too Just before Christmas, it hurts.
My deepest condolences, Nagi. Having lost our 17 year old girl last year, opening this email was raw. I have not read the post; I will, in time, when I have the strength. For now, my thoughts are with you. Every day is hard, every moment is hard, but it does get easier 🖤
So sorry for your loss of Dozer,
he was such a beautiful boy and you had a wonderful life together with lovely memories you will never forget
love and hugs to you Nagi
I’m so sorry to hear of the passing of Dozer, but take heart in the wonderful memories he has given you.
That was beautiful, my thoughts are with you.
Please keep up with your beautiful work.
From Phillip Island Australia XXX
I am really sorry that Dozer has gone, You both were so much fun to read about. Take care.
Thoughts are with you Nagi. He will be in your heart forever.
My tears fell when I read your post. It’s Heart wrenching as I too have lost pets over the years, I will miss not seeing Dozer with you but he had a good life & will be missed, so many fond memories. Thinking of you at this very sad time. Xx
💔
i wish you strength and love cause he is with you forever x
Sending all the love in the world to you right now, such a hard post to read and an even harder one to write. You were the perfect pairing and enhanced each others lives. I believe this isn’t goodbye it’s just a pause until you reunite again. I believe this because the thought of goodbye when you loose someone you love is too much to bear. Thinking of you ❤️
Dearest Nagi. I thank you for your humanness and legitimising how we feel after losing a pet. I cry at the loss of Dozer, a dog I never knew but I knew him through you. As I cry my own dog Archie licks my tears and comforts me. I can’t imagine a my life without him. BUT what you have shown us is the need to understand and realise a pet is not just a pet. They are our family and we are their world. When we lose them we lose a family member. RIP Dozer – you have left a huge legacy and so has your mama in showing her love for you. You will not be forgotten.
Nagi, my heart goes out to you, I can appreciate the way you are feeling at the moment having been there myself. You feel you will never recover but you will and you will have fantastic memories of life with Dozer to look back on. Plus the knowledge that you both did everything that you could in your time together.💕🐾