Vale Tommie

It is with great sadness that I tell you some news of Tommie. Many will have heard of his passing already but for those who haven't, cancerous cysts broke inside him on the last day of the year and, as I held the old paw that had walked so many miles beside me, Tommie slipped away on the first day of 2015, happy and active until the day before he died, a life beautifully lived. 

Almost 3 weeks later I can bring myself to write about him and to say that he was the best of dogs and mates. I miss him terribly. When I announced his passing on Facebook an avalanche of testimonials came in. I read each and every one and it touched me deeply that his simple little stories on The Wuffington Post, as silly and meaningless as they appeared on the surface, were so profound and poignant for so many people across the world. Almost a thousand people felt moved to write about how his little life touched them. News of his passing reached 50,000 people within days. 

I shall tell you of some events that summed up his beautiful nature. When my mother grieved the loss of her husband, my father, also on New Years Day, Tommie never left her side and when the wailing and grief crescendoed, so too did his attentiveness, nudging her hand so she felt his thick warmth.

As we walked in the bush one day a flurry of wings took my attention some twenty metres away where a mother duck frantically escaped the oncoming dog. I arrived to find Tommie guarding her 12 ducklings, sitting by their side as a protector. For those who doubt that animals have souls, they should have met Tommie.

Tommie was horribly abused dog as a pup. As a result he was extremely aggressive towards men for many years. His transition to the dog who hurled himself lovingly at the feet of male friends of mine, or just men he met on the street, was incredible. It had much to do with a lovely man called Steve who, while working on the deck at my house, threw a stick for Tommie to fetch throughout the day for an entire month. He wore Tommie's fear of men down, stick by stick, and by the end of the month I had a new deck and a new dog. Sadly Steve took his life last year, unable to deal with his own demons. So often those with the biggest hearts feel life's sadness too deeply.

I am proud of how I treated Tommie. It is one of the achievements of my life that he never went unwalked, unfed or unloved but went happily unwashed. I wish I had treated people as kindly and will endeavour to do so for the remainder of my life, in his honour. And God what a life he had - he walked mountains, swum in oceans, chased sticks into rivers, travelled with me for thousands and thousands of mile, ate magnificent food which was one of his greatest joys and met wonderful people who loved him dearly. Truly and a little childishly, I never really thought he would die.  

On the 1st of March I depart on the Big Walk. To be honest I was very concerned that Tommie wouldn't make the journey and would suffer distress on the track. I was torn between a rock and a hard place because I just couldn't bring myself to leave him behind. 

Just over the past days I have found another pup and will pick him up outside Melbourne on Thursday. We need some time together before we hit the road. Vibrant, hopeful, bouncing-with-joy youth will infuse half the party of two. Ralph, a 10-week old Red Cattle dog, is still nuzzling into his mothers warmth, unaware of the journey that awaits him.

He will be his own dog and I will love him. Unlike Tommie, Ralph has come from a loving home on a small farm. Life has already left the imprint of warmth and kindness upon his soul. It was the great triumph of Tommies time on earth that his fear and anxiety were overcome and his simple life touched so many people for the better.

C ya old mate

love

Raymond  

Send your thoughts and stories to %86%A6%CF%B7%98%93%CF%BC%B1%D6%E1%B6%E4%C6%D5%D3%96%CA%A6%C8%C7%BB%C3d%D8%B5%E3%9A%C3%BD%85 or call Raymond on 0414 929768. If you wish to speak to Tommie just leave a message..