Animal Stories from All-Creatures.org

Blue the Grey

FROM Blue the Grey
Facebook posting, April 1, 2022

We had the most beautiful day yesterday. I'm going to write about it properly soon because as heartbreaking as it was, it was also so beautiful and dignified and full of love and tenderness. A gentle farewell for the gentlest of boys.

From the human: I just wanted to thank you all for the absolutely tremendous outpouring of love over these past few hours and days. We feel absolutely broken right now. We had forgotten what life is like without Blue in it. Everywhere we turn, we are reminded of the boy who both figuratively and literally was such a huge presence, an irreplacable part of who we are. Just gone.

This morning I thought I was doing quite well at holding back the tears... until I found a poo bag in my pocket.

This is rough.

I had only recently come to terms with the idea that he's becoming an 'old' dog, I really thought he would be with us for so much longer. One can never really be ready for such a thing, but I most definitely was not ready now. I held his beautiful big heart in mine for nearly eight years, his heart that beat so strong and loved so hard.

When he came home from hospital yesterday, full of life and love and joy, I agonised over whether I was doing the right thing. "We have our boy back" I heard myself say. But Anna pointed to his heart, and she gently reminded me how much it was struggling. Even laying down in his bed, it was working so hard. That heart had carried my big lug of a dog around for nearly nine and a half years. It carried me too. But even the biggest, strongest heart in the world can't endure the weight of cancer. And I wasn't going to let the tumour take him from us. So I made the call.

We had the most beautiful day yesterday. I'm going to write about it properly soon because as heartbreaking as it was, it was also so beautiful and dignified and full of love and tenderness. A gentle farewell for the gentlest of boys.

I am quite frankly a little overwhelmed at the response to Blue's passing. I knew he was loved but honestly, I had no idea quite how much. So many thousands of comments, messages, posts. The #Toast4Blue content in particular is carrying me quite frankly. Gosh you lot loved this dog, didn't you? At some stage I'm going to read through everything properly and reply to as many as I can. But right now please know that Anna, Leo and I feel your love and we are so so grateful for it. It is such a huge comfort to us knowing that you too are bearing the weight of this grief alongside us.

Thank you.

Some lovely people have been asking if they could send us gifts, flowers and cards. And I appreciate this sentiment so much. But honestly all I really need right now is Blue back. And since that is not an option, I'd like for as many other 'Blues' as possible to get the chance he got to live life to the absolute fullest.

Because while Blue got lots of attention, and obviously was the most special dog on earth to us, the truth is, every single dog is special. And *every single* greyhound has their own unique personality, favourite foods, weird phobias, hilarious antics, and special way of worming their way into your heart, if you let them. Every greyhound deserves the opportunity to find a loving human companion who will be as obsessed with them as I was with Blue.

So instead of flowers and gifts, please help me to honour this big-hearted dork of a dog, by making a donation to his special GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-toast-to-Blue-the-Grey. I will be dividing the donations between various greyhound rescue organisations to help them continue their work to advocate for, rescue, rehabilitate and rehome more dogs like Blue.

It also happens to be Greyhound Adoption Month, so for the rest of April, please keep your eyeballs peeled for adoption content and help promote greyhound adoption in any way you can. Or, ya know, adopt a greyhound. That would also be cool.

As far as the future of Blue's presence on social media -- right now, I'm not sure what this will look like. It's quite clear to me that there is something special here, and a hell of a lot of special people, and I'm quite fond of this little wholesome corner of the internet. So I'm reticent to part with it, to be honest. But let me have a little think on this and I'll come back to you. I'd like to hear your ideas too.

For now, we have some processing to do. Some re-learning how to go about our lives with a very empty-feeling house, and very weary hearts. The last week has just been so hard.
Thank you for your kindness and support. And for allowing us to share this toast-loving, whistling, gentle as heck sack of elbows with you.

With love,
Kimberley ("the human")

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