When Bob arrived, we simply couldn't fathom how or why this lovely old gent had come to be wandering, confused and alone, and we prayed, we prayed with every ounce of our being that his owner would come forward for him, that someone was missing him as much as he was missing them.
Here's how Bob's story unfolded over the next few weeks....
We shared Bob's pictures on our social media pages, in the hope that someone would recognise him and he could be reunited with his owner. The days went past, and we began to lose hope. Our lovely Pilgrims spent lots of special time with Bob, taking him for gentle walks, sitting with him in the warm sunshine, soothing him gently, encouraging him to eat, keeping up his spirits.
Day 8 came, no-one had come forward for him despite over 150,000 views on facebook. We were overwhelmed with messages of love and support for Bob, and in particular, one of our Pilgrims was so touched by his story she felt she had to help. Tracy visited Bob daily, and agreed to take him home with her, to restore his dignity, give him the home comforts he so desperately needed, and to let him live out the rest of his days in her home, with our support.
Bob settled into his new home and was treated like a prince...
He wanted for nothing
Bob had been on medication for a swelling in his mouth whilst he was at the Home, he was badly in need of a dental, and seemed to have a badly infected cyst, which didn't stop him from eating, but was clearly causing him some discomfort. The meds had reduced the swelling considerably, but as Bob was now settled and comfortable with Tracy the staff asked us if we would fund his dental surgery. The vets had run full bloods on Bob which indicated nothing alarming and although there are always risks with putting an elderly dog under anaesthetic, Bob's mouth was clearly starting to give him pain which was preventing him from eating, and after careful discussions, everyone agreed it was the way forward for Bob. He was booked in for surgery last week.
You cannot imagine our surprise and delight, when on the Sunday before Bob's surgery, the staff informed us that an old gentleman had telephoned the home saying he had lost his beloved old dog a few weeks previously. He was a little confused, and told the staff that he had been contacting a number in Newport for some weeks, but someone had suggested that he should ring Cardiff Dogs Home.... it was Bob's elderly owner. We were ecstatic! The staff explained to him that Bob was with one of our volunteers on respite, that he seemed OK but that we had booked him in for surgery, explained the risks, and as the gent had no means of transport and was happy that Bob was being taken care of, it was agreed that we would carry on with the planned dental surgery on the following Wednesday and we would take Bob back to his beloved master on the Friday.
There were so many happy tears, the staff, the volunteers, and Bob's lovely fosterer Tracy were bubbling with excitement, we could not have wished for a better ending, and we were absolutely thrilled at the prospect of Bob and his beloved master being reunited.
On Wednesday, we had a devastating phone call. Once under anaesthetic the vets discovered that Bob's 'cyst' was in fact an invasive cancer that had penetrated his jaw, the mass had spread, the cancer was extensive and inoperable. The vets phoned the Home, explained what they had found, that the prognosis was as poor as it could possibly be, that it was going to be impossible for Bob to enjoy any quality of life as he would be unable to eat and would simply starve to death... so the heartbreaking decision was made to let him go.
The grief we felt was simply intolerable, in a matter of hours we went from elation to complete devastation, Bob was so close to having his master's hand stroking him once again, to being able to settle into the bed he had known for 17 years, to hear his master's quiet and trembling voice soothing him. But it was not meant to be.
We have to look for consolation when we lose one of our beloved dogs. If we don't we simply couldn't carry on doing what we do. It's a comfort to know that when Bob went to sleep for the last time he would have known he was surrounded by love. He would have felt our joy and anticipation that he was going to see his owner again, he died contented and peacefully.
Looking back now, we do feel that maybe Bob knew it was his time, and maybe that's why he wandered off when he did. Maybe he didn't want to die slowly and in pain, watching his dear pappa weeping over him, two elderly souls who loved each other more than life itself, maybe Bob wanted to spare his master the pain of watching him die.
Bob touched so many hearts, and broke so many hearts, it's never easy to love and lose, but he went to his grave with the dignity he wanted, and surrounded by love.
Rest peacefully Bob, it was a privilege to have you in our lives, you taught us the true meaning of love.