We all know that the hardest part of owning a dog is that they will never outlive us, the inevitability that someday we will have to say goodbye to an animal that we welcome into our homes and that becomes a part of our family. Myself and my family ask you to hold your dogs a little closer today as we, with the heaviest of hearts, give the news that our beautiful Denver has passed away.
Denver was born on the 11th of April 2006, he was sent to NWESSR for rehoming as from 8 months old he was diagnosed with detached retinas meaning he was completely blind. Denver’s previous owners could not devote enough time to him, but upon seeing his beautiful big brown eyes my family instantly fell in love. My mum and dad gave us the news that they were bringing home a new dog to be a part of our family, we were told of his difficulties being blind, he often would bang into things as he was finding his way, but this did not phase us, as he walked into our house in 2009 just before he turned 3 years old.
I remember the big bundle of joy running up the stairs and instantly crying, Denver was the happiest dog I had ever seen, the widest eyes and wagging his tail as he took himself on a walk around his new home, gathering his baring’s. It took him no longer than a week to find his way through the rooms as he had memorised where the doors and corners of walls were so as not to bump his head. He would still often have a clumsy moment, but just walked this off as if it never happened, he amazed us daily. He amazed us at his lust for life, he loved to play ‘pull it’ with his toys, and would run around the house in excitement when it was time to go for a walk, the jingling of his collar was enough and Denver would be waiting by the front door. Denver had unwavering loyalty, he knew each of us by the tones of our voices and our smells, and with each member of the family he had an individual relationship. Some of us he would cuddle and kiss and lay with, others he would fight and play with and go on long walks. Often I would come home and see his cheeky face laying on my bed, keeping it warm.
You would never have noticed that Denver had difficulty in sight apart from when he would bump his head in unfamiliar surroundings, however we as his family knew of his struggles as in 2010 he developed glaucoma in one of his eyes. Denver had daily drops to control the pressure in his right eye and we hoped and prayed that this would be enough to keep the levels low. Unfortunately two years ago the pressure in Denver’s eye got to such an extent that he did have to have his right eye removed. Denver amazed us at how he bounced back from this, he did not have to have pain killers upon leaving and the vets were stunned that he did not seem to be in pain, he was tough and brave and we loved him all the more for it. Denver was awarded the Phillip Green Memorial Shield by NWESSR in 2010 during his time with glaucoma for his bravery. We as a family were extremely proud of our gorgeous dog, with one eye or two he gave us the same love, he was obedient in nature and would do anything to please us.
Denver loved most of all going on new walks, often Terry and Denver would go on long adventures together, climbing over fences, walking upstream in the quick flowing water at Malham, climbing small rocks, and even walking part way up Whernside. Denver would follow commands and knew we were always there watching over him, as such he was often allowed to run free off the lead across fields, he even recently learnt to swim through Terry’s help, Denver was always scared of swimming due to his blindness and would not go far in lakes and streams, it was an honour for the family to watch him gliding across water. He would often come rushing through the door covered in mud and dripping wet, ready for his bath, following that he would rush downstairs and stand by the sofa waiting for his blanket to be laid out so he could get himself warm. Denver was a dog of comforts and would do this regularly, alongside his daily routine of waiting on the landing to greet everyone as they awoke for work, rushing to the back door to be let out on a morning into the garden before rushing back in to eat his breakfast.
As Denver was such a dog of routine we noticed all the more when he recently seemed to lack enthusiasm for anything, he was sleeping a lot more than usual and avoiding all his favourite foods, he did not want to play and even standing seemed to be a lot of effort for him. After a trip to the vets Denver came home to us, we had him resting on a bed that we made up for him on our living room floor and kept tempting him with fresh meats and sweet treats willing him to eat, Denver barely touched any food during the time he was ill, the small handfuls he ate were as we could see it, to please us as his family. The only time Denver would stand to go outside was when we noticed it had been a long time since he was last out, and we willed him to get up, almost picking him up completely each time, he seemed to have aged dramatically over a period of 48 hours as his health deteriorated before our eyes. Our once bouncy playful dog would just lay panting for breaths, and as we called out the vet on the 03/11/2015 she confirmed that Denver’s heart was failing and he was dying. As we all gave our beautiful boy one last kiss and goodbye, we watched as the pain slipped away from him in the comfort of his home that he loved, surrounded by the family that loved him all the more.
I can’t explain how sad and empty our house and hearts are at Denver’s passing, at just 9 years old we thought we had all the time in the world left to explore more with him and wake up to him for many more mornings to come. We will never own a dog like Denver, we were incredibly proud to own him and be his best friends, his family, and his biggest fans. Denver taught us about bravery, loyalty and eternal love, we will remember him every single day and love him forever. We cannot thank NWESSR enough for blessing us with the opportunity to meet and care for Denver, he brought laughter into our lives daily and everything is a little less bright without him around now. Without NWESSR’s aid Denver would not have had the opportunity to experience life in the way he had the chance to, we were honoured to love him, and will forever imagine him running around a field freely as he loved to do but just now without the pain. Goodnight and God Bless our little hero. xxx