Bongo Fury

As far as I know none of you have ever met him and even if you had, he would be just another tricolour collie, nothing special. However to me he was everything. He came to me when SWMBO and I were involved in a small local dog rescue charity - a dirty, very aggressive animal rescued from an unknown source who hated people, other dogs and the world in general. He was unadoptable by anyones standards and his fate was predictable. We didn't really want to foster him for the safety of our other mutts, but we took him on anyway. There was something about him that said "I don't want to be like this"
It took a long time to get him into the house. Obviously the sort of place he wasn't used to. He had never seen a flat screen TV before because he kept looking behind it to try to find the people.
For 2 weeks he would not eat out of a bowl. We had to throw his food onto the kitchen floor and let him steal it. It took me a year before he was really at ease with me tickling his ears.
Fast forward 6 years. A lovely obedient little man. He would walk at my heel through the local town centre off lead and with minimal instruction. He was completely safe with children unless you count licking them to death. His evening walk would always be off lead and he would never enter the house until he was sure all his "pack" were safely through the door.

Kam went to the Rainbow Bridge this afternoon. If you have a glass of wine handy as you read this then please raise it to a remarkable collie and think of his life rather than his passing.

Peter
(sorry, whisky helps but only in the short term)

Hi
Sorry to hear this...At least his life with you was good...collies are smashing dogs.
Cheers
Helen

All the best to you and yours

So sorry Peter, bless him, he sounds wonderful. Our dogs leave their paw prints on our heart.

Hi
so sorry to hear of your loss , rescue dogs can be a challenge but so rewarding when you get results, the pain of loss goes away but the memories stay with us forever.
rgds Ian

A remarkable story not unlike ours. when I was reading it with my wife we just looked at each other then she said 'god who does that sound like' The collie we rescued from death row Benji. 4 years on he still has issues but is 400% better than he was.

Thanks for sharing that with us and I will open a bottle tonight and give him a thought.

best wishes

Thank you for your kind words folks. He was my best friend and his passing has been difficult for both of us. But we still have Whisper and Lady. Whisper, by the way, is doing well. They both keep looking for him, which is rather sad

Peter

Hi Peter
Aaaaww...glad to hear Whisper's doing well...sorry to hear that they're looking for Kam...We've never had a dog do that when another goes...possibly because we get another one?
Cheers
Helen

I wish we could organise a dog attending Bongo bash! Cool!

Hi panzer, sorry to hear of your loss, I know how you feel. I lost my best friend at the end of January, it absolutely broke me, I cry everyday for my spike, he was my reason for life! I picked him the day he was born and loved him for 14 years, we went everywhere, markets all over the country. He guarded my kids grandkids car and house. He slept on my bed every night from the age of 1. I have never missed anybody or anything like how I miss my spike? I had a proper funeral for him, a Hearst picked him up and took him past our woods and then down to the crematorium, I can't believe how many people came to spikes cremation? Made me see how special he was, everyone knew him from my neighbourhood as he was one of many Staffordshire bull terriers I the area. I had to give him the respect and dignity he gave to me,even while he was poorly he wouldn't mess in the house, I would carry him outside and as soon as I put him down he would do it! Such a clean dog he wouldn't poo in his own garden? He made me walk him every night which is what I loved. I will never get over losing him I will be cracking a bottle for kam and spike tonight and just remember GOD loved his funny little creation so much he reversed his own name and called it DOG

Jeebers what lovely elegies. Very sorry to read of your losses. I don't have a dog (losing a cat years ago was enough for me) but my partner Trish lost hers last year and misses her dreadfully.

Wotcha.

Condolences - been there, done that, as they say.

AJAY the DOG

Dogs are brilliant companions, so sorry that Kam has gone. You took a rescue dog in and gave it a chance to live its life. We have one that was on death row and she is now 19yr old. Sure Kam will be in your memories as will our dog Sophie when she goes.