When Mick Emmott matched us with nine-year-old Harvey I said to him “I hope we have five good years with him”.  We collected him from Rose Tree Kennels on 24/11/2012 and said goodbye to him on 21/11/2017 so I got what I hoped for.  Harvey was in beautiful condition when we adopted him having come from a large, loving family who simply did not have the time to give him the attention he needed.  When we watched him racing around the paddock at 90 miles an hour any thoughts we might have had of taking home a staid, mature springer were forgotten.

In the last 12 months, the pace slowed.   He was deaf, his eyesight was not good and spondylosis had fused the joints in his back legs but he still had a good appetite, enjoyed his two walks every day and his tail never stopped wagging.  His only concession to age was to give up swimming. He no longer jumped straight into any stretch of water that he came to.

The end came quickly.  We had been for our afternoon walk around a nearby lake and he had seen off some ducks.  Shortly after we got home he lost control of his legs and bladder.  Chris, our great vet, who knew him well, took one look at him and said: “it is not his legs, it’s his brain”.  He had suffered a seizure from which he wasn’t going to recover and so it was time to say goodbye. He died peacefully with the person he loved best holding him tight.   He was 14 years and 5 days old. 

I am lost without you Harvo.  Rest in peace, my lovely lad.