On 31 May at the age of just 8 years and 7 months we had to say goodbye to our darling Betsy, snatched from us far too young by the evil that is Lymphoma.
She fought hard and so loved her life. She was given 6 weeks but we had her for 14, such was her strength and determination to stay with us .
On the day she went to sleep she went to the beach , ran like a puppy dog with her sister from another mother and ate sausage roll , cake and biscuits at her favourite café.
We collected Betsy from Beagle Welfare when she was almost 2 and a half . When we met her she ignored us and our resident dog , Emily advised we take her for a walk , I really was not sure , she was a butch looking chunky girl who was in season , had a hanging undercarriage, half a tail and looked such a goofball . On the walk we picked her up and looked into her eyes, handled her and knew there was a character in there.
It was soon clear that she missed the little boy that she had lived with , running up to children , thinking they were him and turning away , looking confused when it was not him . We soon found out that she was terrified of white vans, afraid of men and a resource guarder. She was such a kind dog though and we worked with her , learnt her triggers and she improved so much but remained scared stiff of white vans and loud noises.
It was because of Betsy and to try and help her with her fears that I completed a dog behaviour diploma, I understood her, we accepted her uniqueness and she ours .
She was such a funny dog, she would have been a builders mate if she were a human. She slurped tea, burped and trumped like a goodun and she was the first dog I ever had that actually laughed when she was getting a belly rub. She was a clown and must have had 9 lives , she fell off the harbour wall at Staithes and survived unscathed, she ate artificial coals from the gas fire so that had to go, she pulled all the grouting from the patio and bumbled around doing her own thing, finding balls and “treasure” and never bothering anyone.
Oh how we loved that girl . We thought that no one else cared about Betsy but our Spalding Beagles group collected in her memory and wanted to put a bench in the field that we hire for meets, when they asked the lady who owns the field for permission , she was so overwhelmed by their request that she offered to buy the seat herself and the group will put a plaque on “Betsy’s Bench” which will be a place to remember dogs that are no longer with us, it will be to “sit, relax, reflect and remember.” There will also be a donation from the Spalding Beagle group in memory of Betsy and as a thank you for the 6 years we were able to share her life.
The wound of her loss is still so raw but we know we gave her the best life, she loved going to the beach , her hollibobs , toast and tea .
RIP Betsy Boo , one of a kind , never to be forgotten xxx
