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
Like so many our hearts break for your loss of your beautiful fur baby. It’s so incredibly unfair that we can’t have them longer in our lives. You gave Dozer such a wonderful life and love and he gave the same right back to you.xx
So very sorry for your loss. NEVER easy to say goodbye to our 4 legged kids. My husband & I had to do it 4 different times in our 35 yrs of marriage. Our last girl crossed over the rainbow at age 16, 2 days before Christmas last yr. Needless to say it was a very very sad holiday. I think about all of them often. My Ella who I got during my breast cancer days (2008) was always with me. I was with her til her last breath. (We were with all our pets til the end). I miss her & cry everytime I come across a picture or video on my phone. Our house has been toooo quiet. Our 14 yr old cat misses her brother & sister too. We got her as a kitten & she grew up w them. She thinks & acts like a dog. She ate, played & slept w them. I know she went through a little depression after each one passed as well. I’m ready to get a new pup for our family, but after Ella passed, my husband is not ready. He took it quite hard. She was his shadow. She went everywhere w him. We trained our dogs never to run in the street or run away from us. They were friends w all our neighbor’s dogs. It was very hard for me to tell them Ella was gone when they asked for her. We miss all our pups. Cinder was 12, Dino 13. We got Rocky as a pup when Dino was still w us, but he was a grumpy boy & didn’t want or had the energy to play w a puppy. Rocky passed at age 12.5. Ella 16 yrs of age. I wish I can tell you it will get better, but to this day our hearts are still very sad, missing them. Thanks for sharing your stories & pictures of Dozer all these yrs. I’ve loved seeing them, as well as cooking many of your recipes!
Sending heartfelt wishes to you. & hoping you take your time mourning the loss of your beloved Dozer. He will ALWAYS be with you through your wonderful memories.
All my best,
Judy
Nagi I read your post and I am in tears. There are no words I can say to make you feel better so I won’t say anything other than Dozer had the best Mummy in the world. 💔💔
I am so sorry for your loss. Much love and hugs from the Netherlands. He will be missed dearly, also here xxx
Dear Nagi,
My heart hurts for you and pain you feel. Dozer was a treasure and will always be with you. Sending you much love and my deepest sympathies.
Condolences Nagi. Remember he will always be walking with you and will always come when you call. You will feel him beside you when you,are still and reach into your heart. Don’t hold onto grief let that go to bring in the joy of remembrance and open your heart to another soul that needs you (and you it) to be theirs. 💖
It’s never easy saying goodbye to a furbaby, what a lucky boy he was to have you as his mum
so sorry for your loss..now, you have 1 more angel to watch over you all the time.
So sorry to hear about Dozer and the sadness you must now be experiencing. Please accept our condolences and best wishes for the future.
I’m so sorry Nagy. Dozer has been a part of all of our lives and we will all miss him. But my heartfelt condolences to you. The only problems with pets is that they die before us. Love xxx
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My heart breaks for you. So hard to Loose a loved one.❤️❤️ RIP Dozer 💖
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal 😢 but love leaves a memory no one can steal ❤️🌺
I’m so sorry for your loss, Dozer was such a great companion and comfort for you, but alas, he was in your life for an short time, and fulfilled his duty at being wonderful comfort for you.
We all enjoyed the posts about your beloved Dozer and we love your compassionate heart. ❤️
I understand what you are going through – time is a great healer – hopefully one day you will meet again
I’m soo sorry for this huge loss Nagi. So many wonderful memories made together. Treasure those, in the dark hours when you feel inconsolable. Thinking of you.
dear Nagi, when it’s finally your time to enter Heaven, your Dozer will be right there, at the door. Best love. Chris
Dozer had the best life with you Nagi, goodbye best boy Dozer.
I too am so sad about your loss. My thoughts are with you.
Our best friends leave such a gaping hole in our hearts.
My heart goes out to you Nagi 💔
We have lost 4 dogs over the years & it doesn’t get any easier I can find myself crying over a memory years later it is such a privilege to be loved unconditionally by our fur babies & we are lucky to have a further 2 with us now
With tears streaming down my face I remember Dozer fondly. I looked forward to reading about his latest escapades, food tastings and fun filled days. I was fortunate to have met Dozer at your last book signing and Miranda Westfield. Such a beautiful boy. He will be missed but is at peace. God Bless you Dozer ❤️
I am so sorry for your loss 💔when I saw “In memory of Dozer” pop up on my screen, I wanted to cry, I read your post and then I cried 😔My heart goes out to you 😢