I held his paw and slept by his side for 14 days in hospital. But it turned out, all the love in the world wasn’t enough to save him. Thus begins the final post on Life of Dozer.
My dearest Dozer,
You came into my life in my arms, holding you protectively. And after almost 14 years together, I held you in my arms protectively again as I said goodbye.
I was sobbing so hard, I forgot everything I wanted to say to you in our final moments together.
So I started writing this letter to you, to say all those things.
I wanted to reminisce about our wonderful times – the thousands of visits to the dog beach, all the wonderful food we sampled together, the cuddles, the neck-scratching-sessions, our road trips.
I wanted to thank you for spreading the joy that is you with readers all around the world, for happily coming along with me to meet readers at events, book signings, fund raisers, lunches, dinners, not to mention TV shows, photo shoots, and my gosh, we can’t forget our stint on Play School!
But as I sit here, typing away with tears streaming down my face, I realise that’s not what I want to say to you.
What I want to say is thank you.
Thank you for giving me your whole heart.
Thank you for giving me your unconditional loyalty.
Thank you for loving me just as I am, for all my flaws, for never caring what I weigh, what I wear, what I look like.
Thank you for always being there, my one constant through the good and bad times.
Thank you for making me smile, even on the hardest of days.
And thank you for trying so hard to stay with me as long as you could, fighting to heal until your very last day. I will never forget how deep you had to dig to find the strength for your rehab walk on our final morning together.
I know that one day, I will be able to look at photos of you again without sobbing. And I know all this pain I am feeling is because I loved you so fiercely and completely, and I wouldn’t trade it for a second I got to spend with you.
But right now, four days after saying goodbye, it feels like the heartbreak will never heal, like I will never smile again.
Rest in peace, my darling Dozer. I will never forget you, and I will never stop loving you.
Love,
Your mum xoxo
Thank you SASH
To the vets and nurses at the Small Animal Specialist Hospital (SASH),
Thank you for the extraordinary care, skill, and kindness you showed Dozer. Every moment, from the medical expertise to the gentle reassurance and cheering him on, meant more to me than I can say. Knowing he was in such capable, compassionate hands gave me comfort during the hardest days. I will always be deeply grateful for everything you did for my beautiful boy. – Nagi x
Oh Nagi, I am just so sorry for your loss and inspired by your great love.
So sorry and so sad for your loss. We are having to put my daughter’s dog down too and it’s heartbreaking to lose your loyal companion.
Dearest Nagi,
Truly, what does one say to ease a heart that is shattered into a million pieces?
Sharing your life with Dozer through your writings and snaps was our gift; certainly a joy in my life.
I too, like so many of your readers, would click on Dozer’s link first to see what the boy had been up to! And yes, my heart is broken too by his passing.
Your tribute written to honour Dozer, Nagi, is so beautiful. The dedication you both had to one another will forever surround you, and in time, your memories will stir joy, smiles and laughter, as hard as that may seem right now.
Please take care of your fragile heart right now, Nagi, and know, really know, that your big, beautiful, Dozer is only a comforting thought away, dwelling in your mind and your heart.
Dozer was loved by so many of us, and so are YOU.
Rest in Peace, sweet Dozer. You fought the good fight to stay with your mistress. You are missed.
Sending my “Deepest Condolences” and Hugs
from The Canadian Prairies.
💔🥹💞🤗
Thank you so very much, Nagi, for sharing your precious Dozer with the entire world. We will all miss him, too, but our hearts especially ache for you. 💔 🌈
Rest in perfect peace Dozer. Your life was a testament to the blessing that you are (and that Nagi) is. Nagi, I am praying for comfort to find and never leave you. Encouraging you to take it a day at time!
With love,
Erica
I am so very sorry for the loss of you beloved Dozer! He will always be with you♥️🙏🏼♥️
Won’t bother with words, just sending love and support. 💛💛💛
Nagi, I am so sorry for your loss.
You gave him the best life! x
I am so sorry. My daughter and I talk about Dozer all the time. We will miss him.
What a special bond and he will always be with you. Feeling for you and understand completely the grief of losing a family member and how hard they try to stay for us. Thanks Nagi for sharing Dozer with us.
Oh no, Nagi. I just followed you on fb, only to see this post. We lost our incredible border collie mix Jimmy many years ago to complications of laryngeal paralysis. Dozer had a life most dogs can only dream of; he was a lucky boy to be your dog.
Condolences for the death of Dozer. The love of a pet is the purest love—- unconditional, nonjudgmental and constant. I have lost so many wonderful pets and each of them was special.
Read the poem The Rainbow Bridge and know that you will be reunited
DOZER’S LEGACY
Dearest Nagi
I’m late to the party – I’ve been in hospital. I feel so deeply your loss, as I too lost my darling Rogan Josh just six months ago. He was a dead ringer for Dozer…so similar!
Nagi, I wrote to you some time ago, wanting to make a donation to RecipeTin Meals, but you said you were not yet set up for it. Dozer made a lasting impression on us all and will not fade in our memories. He lives on!
Could he not live on through donations to the foodbank? Could this be Dozer’s legacy? I’m sure we could make it work.
With the warmest of love and hugs, Susanne
We all loved Dozer so much and have pets of our own, so we know how difficult it is to say goodbye and so we feel like we walked with you on the road to goodbye. Take your time to grieve,you will always miss him.xx
Dear Nagi, I have only now had the strength to read The Final Chapter: The Life Of Dozer because I knew I’d sob throughout. I was right and I’m still sobbing. Your words on Dozer’s last walk were particularly poignant. We vividly recall our beautiful girl’s last walk, just to please us. We had to carry her home. We too thought our love would enable her to live forever. We used to serenade her and implore her to live forever and be our one and only beautiful Golden Retriever. We’ve never thought of another so she remains our ‘one and only’.
Dear Nagi,
We know when we meet them that they will break our hearts one day – but we love them anyway.
Dozer will be missed. Hold onto the memories, You were the most amazing, loving Mum!
He was one lucky dog.
Hugs and condolences to you xxoo
That’s beautiful. They give us so much. I have never used the pain as an excuse to go solo, I’ve used it to free another one (doc cat, whatever,) not to replace the lost friend but to give another a fresh start.
Dear Nagi,
Bless you for giving a puppy the best life possible.
Now, regroup, and do it again.
It doesn’t get any easier, losing your best friend. But it’s what we do.
Timbo
Very sorry for your loss Nagi. He will always live in your heart and the beautiful memories that you had together. Very emotional letter dedicated for him, I was sobbing.. I feel like both of you are part of my family since I am on your website every single day. Sending you lots of love.. ❤️
Thank you for sharing.
Think of all the love we, Dozer’s fans, are sending your way. and it may help. We, too, will miss him greatly