Wednesday 9 June 2010

My wife and Jai: A long last walk

This might be part of a cover of a book one day of my wife's poems and I produced this image to show  her taking our dog Jai for a last slow walk in this hazy reconstruction of my first memory.

Jai was an Irish Wolfhound, and a spirit of such good nature that when she died last week it was a sad day for us all.

They don't live to a great age those big dogs; the heart doesn't have the strength, and they start to weaken and lose weight dramatically, then the appetite goes and they give up and that's it. We started mourning her decline a little prematurely as it happened; a sausage revived her appetite (endless, gigantic) and then after six or seven more she rose from her deathbed and two days later almost pulled me off my feet as she went for a rabbit.

We buried her last week when the light finally left her and we knew she'd had six weeks of stolen time. But it was a time we knew we had to savour, and we did, greedily.

8 comments:

  1. Ah Johnny,
    I'm sorry to hear about Jai.
    I dread the day when Tia goes for the big walkiesin the sky.
    It's a lovely image you have made though!
    I hope you are well other than that...
    We are definitely overdue a pint and a catch up.
    See you soon
    Thom x

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  2. Sorry to hear about that Johnny, they really do become a part of your life! Jai if it is like our little white fluffy beast (half a mouthfull for Jai) is probably happily chasing barbeques !
    Cheers
    Craig

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  3. A wonderful wolfhound called Jai
    So lovely she made people sigh
    Lived her life to the full
    Loved by Coggin and Bull
    Now she rabbits above in the sky........

    Belated consolations
    Maggie

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  4. Maggie, beautiful. I'm welling up again...

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  5. Lines in memory of Jai aged 7 3/4

    So farewell then,
    Jai.
    You were a Jai-ant
    Among dogs.
    We will not see your like
    Again.
    Or perhaps we
    Will??

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  6. Beautifully crafted pastiche doggerel old chap. Hope you enjoyed Kernow.

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  7. i never met jai . . . but there's a tear in my eye . . . she's not really gone . . . her spirit lives on . . . look for her in the night sky . . .

    greetings from alan and sue in spain x

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  8. What wonderful memories Jai has left us with! Do you remember the day we took her to that Irish Wolfhound day? What a laugh!!!

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