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
Please know that you gave him a life filled with love and happiness. He spent every single day knowing he was the luckiest dog in the world because he had you. 🙏
This too will pass, and you are spot on when you said that you know you will be able to look at his photos without sobbing someday. You were a great forever Mom to Dozer. I think that dogs are here to teach us about losing loved ones; I have had a dog around since I was a child, and that was a long time ago, and I have an Aussie now… it’s a shame they only live a short while; when they are born and come to live in a loving home, it’s the best place for them to be, doing what they do best and loving us unconditionally.
Thanks for sharing with us, and bless you.
Hi Nagi,
We’ve never met & I’ve never commented here before. In addition to all your good work with RecipeTinEats, I so appreciate your sharing about Dozer.
It’s clear he was one of your beloved family members; I’m glad you could be with him through to his end on Earth. Dang dogs… they simply never live long enough 💔😔
My sincere condolences to you from Oregon, USA.
Wish you all the best. Very sad
I’m sorry you lost your best friend in whole world. Know that you both brought joy into so many people’s and maybe even dog’s lives!
I am so sorry you have lost your beautiful Dozer. I will be keeping both you in my heart as you navigate this loss..
💕
I’m so sorry for the loss of your sweet Dozer. My condolences to you and your family. xoxo
Hi Nagi,
We’ve never met & I’ve never commented here before. In addition to all your good work with RecipeTinEats, I so appreciate your sharing about Dozer.
It’s clear he was one of your beloved family members; I’m glad you could be with him through to his end on Earth. Dang dogs… they simply never live long enough 💔😔
My sincere condolences to you from Oregon, USA.
Adopt a puppy soon, it will stitch your heart back up.
Good night sweet prince.
I am so very sorry Nagi. It is truly heartbreaking to lose our fur babies. What an amazing life you and Dozer had together and thank you for sharing him with us all as well as your recipes!
You will get to the stage where you will be able to smile at photos and the memories but there will always be tears- I lost my boy 3 years ago and I still have tears but I can look at pictures of him and smile now.
Sending you big hugs and once again I’m so very sorry for your loss. RIP Dozer🐾🐾
My heart goes out to you. Losing your beloved Dozer is unimaginably hard, and no words can truly ease the pain. Though he is no longer by your side, the love you shared and the beautiful memories you created together will live on forever, held close in your heart. Bless you, Nagi, for being such a loving and devoted mum to Dozer. Rest peacefully, dear Dozer.
I am crying tears for you Nagi, it will be a bucket full by the end of day .. a life well lived .. RIP Dozer
Thank you Nagi for sharing your lovely Dozer with us over the years. For some years we couldn’t have a dog so the Dozer tab on your website was where we went first, even before your recipe. Dozer, we’ll miss you and sending a big hug to you Nagi.
Dear Nagi, Dozer brought so much light to so many lives.
Thank you for sharing your life and your love for him with the world
Sending love and prayers for you Nagi and Dozer 🕊🙏🌹🐾…tears are streaming as I hug my little buddy Goliath a little tighter..
My heart was so sad when I read Dozer had past. Your love for him has gone with and he knew you were there till end loving him. Dogs give their all to us their love, their loyal when it is their time to leave us it leaves us with such a broken heart 💔 may his beautiful memories be with you always 💞✨️
Rest in Peace Dozer sorry for your loss Nagi
Nagi, our hearts are broken with you. Even though you were unable to bring Dozer home for the final few days, pleasevknow that your love was enough and so much much more to Dozer that he knew just how much you loved him and how he was loved unconditionally to the end. There will be good days and bad days, but be kind to yourself and allow yourself the time you need to grieve.
I couldn’t even read this. Crying so hard. I’m so sorry Nagi xxx