Monthly Archives: August 2024

Goodbye Greeta

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Greeta – the little tricolour SPCA girl

Dear Zak,

We have lost our little Greeta, the SPCA special office dog. We still don’t know what went wrong (the results of the post-mortem are still out). Last weekend she started coughing badly so we took her to the 24hr vet who diagnosed kennel cough and treated accordingly and she appeared to improve a bit but was still coughing badly so we took her back on Monday and she was given an antibiotic injection which seemed to help. Tuesday we took her to another vet as she was down again and they changed the treatment and asked us to bring her back on Wednesday for an antibiotic drip. She was definitely perkier when we picked her up that afternoon and gave us a gentle wag of her tail – we really thought we were on the road to recovery.

Thursday morning Marianne let her out and then suddenly called me; “Come quickly, Greeta’s collapsed!” Poor girl, she dropped on the back verandah and her breathing was intermittent and she was unconscious. We tried to keep her going with CPR but her gums were purple and her pupils unresponsive. We rushed her off to the 24hr vet again but she’d gone by the time we got there.

We got Greeta from the SPCA last October. She’d been the office dog and was showing the result of all the treats – a little bit rotund she was! She got her name as she loved greeting all the visitors and we were assured she loved playing with other dogs. We were looking for a younger playmate for Themba (Tia is about 9 now and not so keen on playing), she seemed ideal and it didn’t take her long to fit in.

A happy family portrait, Themba, Tia and Greeta getting cosy with Marianne

We soon discovered she was clueless on directions and we had an anxious time when one morning she got lost on ART Farm. Fortunately she was wearing a GPS collar and we soon found her but thereafter she was walked on a lead!

Such a gentle girl she soon became known as Sweetie Greetie and responded well to training despite having had none that we could tell. She loved her training, running between Marianne and I, her long tail madly waving in big circles. Breakfast was also a favorite time for her getting first lick of my finger dipped in yogurt. Teatime, she would patiently wait for her piece of rusk and ever so gently take it from me. Teatime over she and Themba would start to play, chasing each other madly around the garden. She certainly wasn’t any longer the chubby girl that we’d adopted.

Waiting to go somewhere in the truck, Themba, Greeta and Tia

She was heavily into her comfort zone. We always knew where to find her – either on the couch or her cushion in the dining room. Persuading her to move off our bed in the evening and onto hers and Tia’s could take some patience. Who could blame her? We had little idea of her background before the SPCA but she did have old scars on her back and nose from what could have been caused by being hit by a vehicle. It was probably not an easy life but cut short far too soon.

We have buried her close to you – there really are too many dogs buried in this garden. Too many broken hearts. Yes, many precious memories too.

Precious girl, left far too soon. We loved her and she knew it.

Dear Zak, these memories are so hard to write. We take on you dogs knowing that we’ll outlive you but you make us so happy and we have such fun enjoying your company. Saying goodbye is so desperately sad.

Love you.

Bone Sunday

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Dear Zak,

Yes, it’s a traditional Sunday – a longer sleep in for us and bones for the dogs. Themba is not quite as obsessed with his bone as the others and will ask to get let back into the house before we are even fully dressed. Standards have definitely changed since your day – Marianne most certainly does NOT allow bones on the bed – so all bones must be left outside. Greeta will chew hers for a long time, Tia too but Themba is not that obsessed with his.

Everyone definitely knows that it’s Sunday and there’s often a bit of a false start when Greeta jumps up on the bed and Themba gets up to stretch. Marianne will ignore the hint and the culprits are told in no uncertain terms to go back to sleep. It only works once.

We are going away in September to the UK to see Duncan and friends and off to Italy for six days to see an old army buddy who made contact through my other blog. I have never been to Italy so am looking forward to seeing a new place – the house is in Cortona. We are hiring a dog-sitter to look after Themba, Tia and Greeta; yes he’s looked after them before and we are much happier with him than sending them out to a kennel.

It’s been a funny old winter – not very cold at all. We are still going out to ART farm early in the morning and it can be quite cold down in the vlei on the way there. On Monday it was 20C but by midday it was 28! The lands where we walk have had maize growing on them last season so the cattle have been put in to clean up the old stover. I’m not sure why they’d be interested in old, dry maize trash but they are and there’s a lot of dung around as a result. Themba and Tia love eating it! Why I cannot imagine, they get a VERY good diet at home and both Marianne and I find it infuriating. I don’t recall you ever being interested in dung but then my memory is not what it used to be which is one reason to keep going with this blog. One day I might need to rely on it and of course I’ll think of you and smile.

Love you.