Oliver Turner

For Oliver Who Went to Rainbow Bridge on 5 March 2012

Words cannot express the loss we feel for our beautiful golden boy
The tears flow and the hearts ache for our beautiful golden boy
We see you here we see you there but we know it cannot be
We look again at the empty space there is nothing there to see
We thank you Oliver for the joy you brought with a character all your own
There will always be a place in our hearts just for you alone
With your health restored dear golden boy run with a new found friend
Till we meet again one day dear boy this cannot be the end

We will remember forever the day Oliver arrived – a beautiful surprisingly large golden retriever with very large paws. He was so beautiful with the most lovely eyes. Oliver was twelve and a half years old and finding himself suddenly in new surroundings was not at all nice for him, obviously causing some anxiety. The flower essence over the next two or three days helped and it was not long before he established himself as a member of the family. His great joy was walking over the fields whatever the weather, finding every smell possible, placing his front paws firmly on the ground and refusing to move until he was quite ready. Yes Oliver was boss.

Oliver latched onto my husband, Don, and wherever Don was Oliver had to be. Possibly because his original owner was male.

He had so much character, a typical male. On his walks others would stop to stroke his head and say hello. Soon everyone recognised Oliver.

When Oliver was fourteen years old the weakness which we had noticed in his hind legs some time previously became rather worse with more obvious weakness and signs of neurological problems. It did not deter Oliver from enjoying his walks, always a time of excitement for Oliver, but the walks became rather shorter and then at a slower pace though he would always have battled on had he been allowed still passionate about every smell he could find.

In the last weeks he had episodes of diarrhoea always responding well to metroniazole prescribed by his vet. Oliver would appear at the kitchen door in the morning with an expression of ‘where’s the fish then’ (recommended by his vet) when we had wondered whether he would want to eat at all. Suddenly a
dramatic change. This time the diarrhoea was horrendous. The vet was called first thing in the morning.

On the 5th March 2012 sadly it was time to say goodbye to our beloved Oliver. First his vet gave him some love and the trainee vet who came to assist placed Oliver’s head on her lap and bent down to kiss him. We were so grateful for that. The end was so peaceful and his vet so kind. None the less heart breaking though also a relief that Oliver was now at peace.

Oliver proved to be even more special than we had ever imagined. Three months after he arrived we were given very upsetting news by a consultant at our local hospital, told in an unbelievably cruel way. Had we known this was going to happen I doubt that we would have considered adopting a dog. In fact it was the best thing we ever did. Our hearts and minds focused on Oliver rather than less pleasant thoughts. Having Oliver was an enormous help and joy. Five months later a referral was made to another hospital, a Centre of Excellence. Here the staff were so very kind and we felt much more hopeful. A few problems remain but nothing like those portrayed originally.

We always knew that the moment our golden retriever arrived we would instantly fall in love with him. What we did not know was just how important that love was yet to be. Our love for Oliver knows no bounds and he will never be forgotten, we will never stop loving him. I am not sure when the tears will cease to flow but he is worth every one.

HISTORY

Oliver is 12 years old, very healthy for his age and is being rehomed reluctantly due a change in family circumstances.

His devastated, owner has said, “Oliver is a very sensitive and placid dog. He is not aggressive in the slightest. He has a very loving nature and enjoys the company of any human. I have a 3-year-old son and, as you can imagine, children can sometimes torment or tease dogs, however, Oliver has never shown any aggressive behaviour when this has happened, which is rare in any case.

Oliver likes children and enjoys interacting with them. He does however get upset when babies cry as I think that he feels they are distressed. He enjoys the attention of adults and loves nothing more than to sit and be stroked for any length of time.

When he goes on a walk at first he can be quite excitable and will tend to pull on his lead but once he has settled down he is very good on the lead and will not pull. He does not like being wet or dirty!

He does not like baby safety gates as when he was a puppy one nearly fell on him so, because of this experience, he is quite scared if a baby gate is moved when he is near it. If one is attached to a door he is fine with the gate being there.

In terms of food likes and dislikes he enjoys gravy bones, chicken, marmite on bread and cheese. He likes dry dog food and does not like tinned dog food which can upset his stomach. He also doesn’t like turkey or pigs ears.”

UPDATE FROM HIS FOREVER HOME

Oliver is now living happily with Jean and Don in Essex.

Jean says “Things couldn’t be better. He has settled down very well. He is eating all his food with great gusto, enjoying his walks (where he is frequently admired – now known to several dog walkers as ‘the rescue dog’). We believe Oliver is really feeling quite at home here.

He sleeps peacefully through the night – he’s now decided he prefers the lounge which is good because earlier on he really confined himself to lying in the hall. He is a wonderful dog to have and we feel very lucky to have been chosen as a forever home for him.”

UPDATE OCTOBER 2009

Jean says “We took Oliver to the vet this morning just to get him checked over and to get him weighed. His weight was 32 kg so perfect and the amount of food we had been giving him exactly right. On examination the vet said that at some time he had suffered an injury to his right knee (possibly tear of a tendon) He had arthritis in both rear leg joints, weakness and stiffness in both rear legs and also his back but his hips are quite mobile. She advised that Oliver should only have gentle exercise. Walks should be no more than 20 minutes each if twice a day or 15 minutes if three times daily.”

“Despite his disabilities, Oliver is a bright boy, always excited when he realises he is about to go for a walk, and he really enjoys his food. He’s not at all like a dog of twelve except that he does sleep quite a lot. He is definitely Don’s shadow and he thinks I am ‘just the dinner lady’. The flower essence drops sent to help Oliver with his distress in the early days definitely made a difference.”

UPDATE MARCH 2010

Oliver is fine, not looking or behaving anything like a dog coming up to thirteen. There is great excitement each time he is off for a walk and he is enjoying every minute of it – lots of lovely smells.

He does have to put in a little more effort when getting up but it doesn’t take him long so it is not a great problem. He enjoys his food but we have to keep him on Hill’s Science Plan, suitable for his age, and, they say, longevity! This way we avoid any episodes of diarrhoea. He will be going for a bath and trim very soon now that it is finally warming up. Whatever happens, Oliver will continue to be well looked after and loved.

UPDATE 9.4.2010

Oliver is gorgeous and we love him to bits. When collecting him from his recent bath and shower the comment was ‘he looks such a healthy dog, you would never think he was coming up to thirteen’.

We were all very sad to hear that Oliver went to Rainbow Bridge on 5 March 2012. He was much loved and is much missed by his family.