Emma Heath
THE LIGHT HAS GONE OUT ON OUR WORLD
10 July 1996 – 30 May 2009
On the 30th May 2009, our world collapsed when we found out that our beloved Emma was going into heart failure. We took her to the Vets in the morning and they tried an injection but by the afternoon it was obvious to us both that she was suffering and so we called the Vet out.
Emma came to us when she was 8 weeks old. She was from a litter of eight bundles of love. When we arrived at the breeders we were taken to the stables where they were being kept and they were let out into the small paddock. During this time, Molly, Emma’s mum, was holding me gently by the hand, as if to say, “just stand still, there is a special pup here for you”. All of a sudden I could see this fluffy bundle running towards me as fast as she could. The others pups were off sniffing around and totally ignoring us but this little pup ran straight to me and sat in front of my feet. So we really didn’t choose Emma, she chose us.
Emma settled into the house easily and quickly and within 4 weeks was barking at the door to be let out for a pee. She was not a “chewer” but had a total fascination with her water bowl which she used to put her two front feet into and try to get out the dog that was clearly living in there.
As she got older she started to develop skin problems which we later found out was atophy. Her diet was changed and she had regular baths which kept it well under control.
We spent a lot of time with Emma in Anglesey, her favourite place in the world. She loved to swim and collect stones from under the water which mum or dad had to bring all the way back to Shropshire. We bought a static caravan in the end so that we could spend our weekends and holidays there. All we had to say was “van” and Emma was packed and ready to go.
During one of our visits there, when Emma was about 7, she ripped her cruciate on the beach. After seeing a Vet in Anglesey for some pain relief for her we hurried back to Shropshire to see our Vet. He advised that she needed specialist treatment in Birmingham so off we went the next day. Fortunately, the Vets were superb and managed to repair the damage. After lots of hydro and twice daily massages from mum and dad, Emma recovered well. Within 4 weeks the other cruciate snapped and off we went again to Birmingham. Again the vets were able to operate and we went through the whole cycle again. Throughout all this Emma never complained, she just accepted that we were doing everything to help her.
Soon though Emma was back swimming in her beloved Anglesey but could not longer do very long walks, just short 20 minutes around the block.
The other big love in Emma’s life was her “monkey”. We bought him for her when she was a baby and he had to go everywhere with her, bed, shops, vet, and in the garden. We were always amazed at how well he lasted over nearly 13 years. “Monkey” went with her on her final journey too.
Emma has gone now and we find ourselves living in a void, where there is no joy or happiness, just tears and sadness. She was a very special girl and I know she loved us as much as we loved her. We miss you every minute of every day. The light has gone out on our world.
God Saw You
God saw you getting tired,
And a cure was not to be,
So He put his arms around you
and whispered ,”Come with Me.”.
With tearful eyes, we watched you suffer
and saw you fade away.
Although we could not bear to lose you,
We could not bid you to stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Hard working feet were laid to rest.
God tests our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best.