My husband Séan and I have welcomed many dogs into our family in our 47 years of married life, and there are many stories I could recount about their amusing and knowing ways and the joy they have given to us.   However, the story of Bridie, the dobie, our only rescue dog, is the one I will tell you now ……..

One day at work a colleague, knowing I already had a male dobie, Thor, and assuming that experience gave me the ability to cope with all dobies(!) came to my office to tell me there was a dobie running loose in the road outside the university with a rope around its neck – could I help before it was run over?   Taking biscuits and some water with me I managed to entice a very frightened dog near enough to grab hold of the rope, give her biscuits and water and calm her down.   I put her into my car, phoned Séan and asked if it was OK to bring home a girl friend for Thor, to which the answer was, of course, ‘Yes’.

Bridie was in very poor condition – thin, dirty, with ulcerated sores round her neck from the rope and bare patches on her joints from having lain on concrete.   Having put an advert in the local paper where she was found, and made enquiries with local vets and the pound, the owner was not found.   So the Mc Court household acquired a new family member.

Bridie quickly settled into her new home, and a bath, good food and treatment for her sores resulted in a beautiful dobie. As she obviously hadn’t had any freedom to run, I used to set my alarm for 4.30 a.m. and took Thor and Bridie to the local oval for a run while there was no-one around (as I mistakenly thought!).   Not knowing her early history, I obviously had a few training tasks in front of me, as if a jogger passed us Bridie wanted to join them.   She hated bikes and wasn’t too keen on men, other than her beloved Séan.   At night, when we were watching TV, she would back up to Séan and lift her bottom onto his knees, lean back and put her head under his chin – I never got a look in!

Bridie became very protective of the Mc Court household and one day while I was at work and Séan was home (his business premises were on our property), a very dirty and suspicious looking character came through the gate – ignoring notices to use the bell to summon someone.   Bridie, who was in the lounge room, launched herself into action – straight through the closed bay window!   Needless to say, the intruder took off, and Séan called Bridie back – by that time she was very good on recall, thank God.   What to do about the window?   Quick, fix it before Joyce gets home!   Séan was trying to keep the incident a secret from me, but as soon as I drove into the driveway I noticed fresh putty on the frame, so the two of them had to ‘fess up’.

Bridie became a much loved friend, and one day we noticed that her gait was not normal.   We took her to the vet (I won’t say which one!) and they decided to keep her in for tests.   After 3 days of their treatments she died, alone, away from her family.   We then found out that they had suspected poisoning and despite their initial suspicions they had not purged her, which we believe they should have done immediately and which could have saved her life.   She had later vomited small pieces of black rubber, but we have no idea where she could have got the rubber from, as we had no building or plumbing materials on the premises – could that type of rubber been poisonous anyway?   Was that really the cause of her death?  

We grieved that she died without her family around her and that her end was as sad as the beginning of her life, but we also comforted ourselves with the thought that having freed herself from the rope and found her way into our lives and hearts, she had found years of love and companionship.   What more can you ask from, or give to, your best friends?