Once upon a time, a long time ago there was a husband and a wife who had hearts overflowing with love.
They bought a puppy.
A puppy with a little brown nose, two big amber eyes and four paws that smelt of digestive biscuits.
They had never had a puppy before and as they drove to Ballymoney to collect her, they stopped midway to buy a packet of nappies...just for her to sit on...just incase. They weren't needed.
They collected the puppy from Drumlin Gundogs and they took her away from her Dad, Ballyhenry Hot Property, her Mum, Nutmeg Delight, her three sisters and six brothers.
Her papers said that she was called Moneycannon Sandy Bubble. She wasn't. She was called Dill.
We brought her home on Sunday 20th July, 2003.
Everyone who met her loved her. She was spoilt.
Afraid of her being lonely, she was never left for too long.
She had many adventures, walking in Tardree with Taco and the Dalchoolies, visiting the Mournes,
walking in Ballyboley, climbing the Cave Hill and every morning having a splash in Belfast Lough at Hazlebank.
Dilly saw sunshine and snow.
Then, all too soon a year had passed, it was the 29th May 2004 and Dilly was one. We had a Barbecue to mark the occasion.
Then in July Dilly got a little brother, Doug.
From the moment he arrived, she looked out for him, even letting him sleep in her bed.
Then in August, we headed to Castlewellan Holiday Week, where Dilly continued to look out for Doug
...and she grew to enormous proportions!
She loved being with her people all day (and all night)
By May 2005, Dilly had discovered her place on the sofa. Although the sofas changed, her spot remained the same.
Time passed.
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| Christmas 2005 |
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| Christmas presents from Grif |
And the walks continued.
By now, Dilly was proficient in her many hobbies, finding sticks, swimming and shaking as close to dry people as she could.
She had a particular passion for finding the LARGEST stick that she could and trying to hit you in the back of the legs with it (finding the sweet spot behind your knee to totally disable you)
By June, Dilly was thriving. Doug however was not.
Amid the chaos of an extension (and puppy sitting Mervyn & Claudette's dog Buddy) in June 2006, Beanz arrived.
Dilly quickly forgave us for bringing another one into the pack.
With four dogs in the house, Dilly quickly established her identity as "the licky one".
But, once again, she mothered the little one, regularly telling him off but still allowing him to cuddle next to her in bed.
Then it was off to Castlewellan again.
The remainder of 2006 was a little crazy with three dogs.
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| Dilly taught Beanz how to swim |
October 2006
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| The big stick passion continued |
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| Beans and Dilly focused on a treat. |
But in November three became two. From that point, Dilly and Beanz were inseparable.
Dilly always had the most beautiful smile
She also had the perfect balance of licky delight at seeing you, affection and mischief.
There was the time when, walking along the north coast, she dived into a little harbour chasing her float. She lost interest in her float and instead was determined to drag a ball back to shore. It wasn't a ball however, it was a bouy, attached by a chain to the bottom of the harbour. Undeterred, Dilly persisted. She began to tire. Her head was dipping under the water, but still she wouldn't abandon the bouy. We stood worrying around the water's edge. Dilly looked as though her determination would drown her. Eventually Jonathan went to jump in to save her. I held him back. We were too far from the cars for him to walk back soaked. So he stripped to his boxers. As he was removing his leg from his trousers, Dilly glanced over her shoulder and paddled back to shore. I swear she was smiling and knew exactly what she was doing.
In 2008 things changed a little.
There was a new pup for Dilly to mother.
Bea.
All of a sudden, our happy, friendly dog became very possessive when we were out walking with the baby.
I could never keep the white covers of Bea's pram in the lounge clean because Dilly would check on her every 20 minutes. She wouldn't settle anywhere until she had checked on the baby by lifting her great big head over the side of the pram and having a sniff. If all was calm, Dilly would relax. On more than one occasion, she nudged me with a great wet nose to tell me that the baby was unsettled or had a wet nappy.
Our family was complete.
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| June 2009 - family photo |
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| Dilly teaches Zachary to dig |
Bea always found her doggies hysterical. You can see that here
Dilly was proud to show Bea round Castlewellan in 2009
It was around April of 2009 that we discovered Dilly had really bad arthritis in her back legs. One morning she hadn't been able to get up. A rush to the vets, and lots of investigations and x rays couldn't explain the problem but did identify the tell tale thickening in her joints. Since then, we managed her pain with wonderfully expensive and effective tablets from the vet.
There will never be another dog who can so effectively determine when the humans are not paying attention and swipe a biscuit from the table. Dilly was mistress of the "they've stopped watching" swoop.
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| Christmas 2009 |
Bea proudly introduced her dogs to everyone with "This is Dilly, she is the licky one and this is Beanz, he is the jealous one"
Bea loved Dilly.
There were walks together
picnics to share
and lots and lots of cuddles, pats, licks and love.
Dilly was Bea's partner in crime
But she was happy to share the love
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| With Jacob at Castlewellan |
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| Bea always loved to share her picnic with her doggies, and Dilly would nibble so gently from her hand (unlike Beans who always gets so excited about any food that he snatches it) |
Yes, it is true that Bea loves her doggies and her doggies love her.
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| November 2010 |
A birthday picnic on the Cave Hill
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| Easter Holidays at Whitemark Bay |
Easter 2011
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| Dilly pretending that Beth is walking her |
To celebrate Dilly's 8th birthday we had a party for her. As Dilly and Beanz's birthdays are just a week and a day apart, quite often, Dilly gets a party that Beanz has to share. It is silly I know to have a party for a dog, but it is good to celebrate them. You can see Dilly not blowing out her candles here (and proof it it were needed that she is "the licky one")
By the time Castlewellan came around in 2011 Dilly was firmly established as a furry friend. Sometimes a soggy, furry friend as she loved swimming in the lake.
But she was always available for a cuddle.
At Christmas, Bea felt sorry for Dilly because "she wanted a princess dress too", so Dilly was duly dressed up in festive finery. She didn't complain.
Some afternoons are just made for relaxing.
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| June 2012 |
In 2012, we had a late birthday party for Dilly (and a jubilee party)
Then it was back to Castlewellan where Dilly was everyone's best friend.
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| Christmas cuddles 2012 |
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| January 2013 |
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| Dilly's birthday cake 2013 |
July took us to Shane's Castle. By this stage, Dilly had slowed up quite dramatically, so Bea was able to walk her.
Then we took ourselves off to Wicklow for a lovely holiday.
This little mischievous face is enjoying the fact that to punish us for tying her up on a beach (it was the rule) she burried one of Bea's brand new sandals behind the wind breaker. Despite frenzied excavation as we attempted to leave, it was never recovered. That'll teach us.
Back to Castlewellan again, where Dilly commands many strokes.
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| Smiling Dilly |
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| September 2013 |
Dilly has always loved walking on the Cave Hill. Not even a "footway closed" sign was able to stop her, or her partner in crime.
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| Christmas 2013 |
An aside about Dilly's toys. As a puppy she loved nothing more than a plant pot or a plastic bottle. As she grew she loved a cuddly toy which she systematically pulled apart, leaving fluffy entrails all over the house (interestingly, she never once destroyed any of Bea's cuddly toys). She also loved playing with a football, which was promptly punctured, but still delivered hours of fun. As she aged she lost interest in most toys, except squeaky toys. Even as a very elderly dog, when she heard the squeak of a toy, her ears would prick up and she would bound over the to wretched thing and give it a good shake.
By Easter 2014, Dilly was visibly ageing. She had a greybeard and was much stiffer. She seldom raised her head, but still enjoyed nothing more than an adventure in the woods or a holiday in the caravan.
I suspect, Dilly would have followed Bea anywhere,
and the feeling was mutual.
By 2014, Dilly was so slow that even the smallest people were able to walk her up to worship.
And while Beanz lay in the back of the car, Dilly, who was too stiff to jump up lay around the campsite, usually hiding under a table on the lookout for ankles to lick and scraps to consume.
Of course the Dilly mischief never vanished, if there was chaos to cause she would do her very best. Like at Easter, cautiously walking across the stepping stones in Tollymore, then jumping into the river from the bank on the other side and swimming back across, to the terror of some stepping stone walkers. She would then make sure to rub against as many trouser legs as possible when she came dripping from the water before giving herself a good shake ensuring maximum coverage of the local people.
I posted this on Instagram in 2015
Then came the summer of 2015 which took us to Castlewellan again...
which meant rolling in the long grass,
a visit to Newcastle
swimming in the lake...
and a new puppy being added to the pack.
There were two reasons Daisy joined us. Firstly, Bea wanted a puppy, and a little girl should have a puppy. Secondly, Beanz is so attached to Dilly that we genuinely worried about how he would cope by himself, so you could say that we bought a puppy for the dog.
Still there were autumnal adventures to be had, and smily Dilly tones so well with autumn.
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| Best Buddies |
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| Jonathan has his hands full |
There were evenings to snuggle up on the sofa and play Bea's games, crowning Dilly the queen of dogs. She still had her spot marked out on the sofa.
It is hard to convey just how much Beanz adores her.
This picture doesn't show a reflection. It is Dilly inside, Beanz outside and him still trying to be as close as possible to her.
It's not only autumn that Dilly tones with, Easter springing around us also works well.
By Easter 2016, Dilly's muzzle was almost entirely grey. I can remember when Doug was a puppy, taking him to Dog Day at Loughshore to get him microchipped. The vet had a soft spot for Dilly and Doug and we understood why as he revealed his elderly chocolate lab in the back of the trailer. I can remember looking at they old dog's grey snout and thinking "oh I don't like that! I hope my dogs don't grey like that" Oh the vanity! When I look at Dilly, and even Beanz 's old grey faces now, I only see love and beauty and many, many shared memories. The grey adds beauty to her face, because it is the face of an old and well loved friend.
On a visit to the Gruffallo, Dilly found a river to paddle in...
... and as the girls discovered a hideout, Dilly, damp Dilly, was determined to join in the fun.
The dogs waiting in the back of the car for another adventure.
In May 2016, Dilly became a teenager.
At Castlewellan, she couldn't get very far. The walk up to the tent was more than enough for her, but she was happy so long as there were legs to lick and people to pat her...
a bonus was a table to lie under...
...and it was a double delight if your girl joined you.
There were lots of people who wanted to walk Dilly.
but she was so glad for a rest before the trundle back down the hill.
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| Caravan kisses |
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| Having a roll by the lake |
Castlewellan is always good for the cuddles.
When we came home, Dilly didn't move from her bed for a loooong time. Although, one afternoon she ventured upstairs. She could no longer jump onto our bed, but that didn't stop her finding Bea's.
She was so cosy, she refused to get off. This is her closing her eyes, believing if she can't see me, I can't see her!
There was lots of comfort and cuddles to be had at home.
As always, Christmas brought a new squeaky toy and Christmas dinner leftovers.
By March, although we didn't realise it at the time, Dilly was starting to show signs of doggie dementia. She would walk into the lounge four of five times in the evening before settling on the sofa... sometimes you would swear she was thinking "now what did I come in here for?"
Her hearing was also very poor, although it took us a long time to decide whether she was going deaf or she had just got to that age where she thought "I can hear you, but I'm just going to keep doing this because I want to"
This is Dilly, sleeping in Daisy's bed, Beanz sleeping in Dilly's bed and Daisy sleeping in Beanz's bed. Dilly went to bed first, followed by Beanz.
The walks that Dilly used to love were becoming too much for her. When we went for a misty wander around Ballyboley in February, the long loop took us about three hours with lots of Dilly rests and she wouldn't get out of her bed for the next two days.
But an Easter Egg hunt around Mountstewart was perfect for her.
especially as there were little people to walk with.
An Easter egg hunt in Woodburn was even better
Especially when you get to the crunchy leaves below the fallen tree, they are always good for a roll.
Woodburn became the perfect place for a walk. Dilly had worked out the best places for her to cross the rivers and scramble over banks, without having to jump. There was a reservoir to swim in and lots of places for a scratch and a roll. The little loop was just enough for her. The interesting smells and adventures compensated for the aching joints. Meanwhile, Daisy is able to run like a mad white pinball for miles more than our little bimble.
Dilly still loved her constitutional to Hazlebank. Some mornings though she would just go back to bed. But when she was out, she loved it.
One of Dilly's favourite places was the Cave Hill. A slow saunter to the top made her day.
But then, one day, she couldn't make it up the steps. Not just the "big step" at the bottom, where I would occasionally give her a boost, but her wee legs wouldn't carry her to the top.
Dilly's dancing field was a far up as we got.
Still she loved it.
I didn't love it so much.
Especially when it came to crossing the dry river at the bottom. Dilly decided that she didn't want to step over the little fence and so took herself off down the river. Sight failing and hearing failing, it was pointless to call her back. Daisy was dispatched to rescue her. Dilly looked relieved when Daisy bounded up to her and followed her back to me. I lifted her over the fence. That was the last time she went to the Cave Hill.
Then she turned 14. We had cake.
and lots and lots of cuddles
For a time she could still manage Woodburn.
and then she couldn't.
She couldn't get up on the sofa.
She couldn't get in the back door.
She was in a lot of pain.
All the time.
We knew it was time.
It broke our hearts, but we phoned the vet.
Of course, being our beautiful, mischievous naughty Dilly, she barked and play bowed and became a puppy again when the vet was on his way.
Then, I held her beautiful head in my hands, I looked in her big amber eyes, I told her that she was beautiful and brave and the best dog in the world. I told her that I loved her.
I said goodbye.
