Remembering Harry (Mastamariner King Harry)

Dogs die soon. I have my stories of that grief, no doubt many of you do. It is almost a failure of will, a failure of love, to let them grow old – or so it feels. We would do anything to keep them with us, and to keep them young. The one gift we cannot give.

~Mary Oliver

Death is an inevitable part of life. It’s the elephant in every dog lover’s room.

Everyone experiences loss and grief in their own way and it’s not a response we can predict.

I dreaded the day when Harry, my beloved Golden Retriever, would die. I imagined my heart would break into a million pieces and I’d be unable live without him.

I imagined I would write a soulful tribute, make a video, share all of his sporting achievements and rosettes, get a paw print pendant made like I did for Lucy.

But I didn’t do any of that.

Harry was chosen for me. He was a Golden Retriever from show breed lines. Quite small, and timid. I picked him up and tucked his quivering little body inside my coat and off we went to start our wonderful life together.

He was joy personified. Everywhere he went, he brought a smile to people’s faces.

But during adolescence, he struggled. My happy-go-lucky-puppy turned into a devil dog. Fighting first. Asking questions later.

I was shocked. And sad. We were kicked out of pet dog training school for being unruly. Around the same time I stumbled upon the world of competitive Obedience and our lives changed for good.

With kind, stress free, reward based, positive reinforcement training, he thrived. We started at the bottom of the competitive obedience classes and went on to compete at Crufts in 2016. ‘He oozed with style yet committed accuracy’…and could quickly switch to playing the clown. By the time he was 8/9 we were both getting the hang of Obedience shows.

He had a remarkable presence. He was the ‘guest speaker’ on numerous personal development and business courses, and team-building events. He touched the lives of business leaders, parents and children alike. And helped those struggling with burnout by helping them re-experience joy and re-discover themselves.

He retired from competing aged 10 when he was diagnosed with a heart condition, which required medication.

Nearly 2 years later, the dreaded day arrived. I had to make the hardest decision of any dog lover’s life. A bitter act of selflessness, kindness, and unconditional love. We spent the day together as normal and shared our last banana.

He left his worldly body, at peace.

Then came my tears…for hours, days, weeks, months, and years. But the tears were accompanied by the strangest, unexpected feeling.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed and consumed by sadness. I felt enormous love, joy, and dare I say, happiness?

In place of his physical presence, there was a unusual silence, once filled by the sound of his being.

But happy? Really? I wasn’t expecting that.

I didn’t do any of the things I once imagined I would.

I didn’t write a tribute – others paid tribute to him.

I didn’t have a pendant made.

None of the usual external comforts felt necessary.

Our spirits remain connected by an unbreakable bond.

Like all dogs, Harry embraced and celebrated LIFE. He revelled in the simplest of doggy pleasures…a tennis ball, a blade of grass, surfing the waves, a touch of kindness.

That’s what he did in abundance. Naturally. Without question. Without overthinking it.

Singing the song that was his life.

My love for him lives on in everything. I will treasure him and his memory for ever.

Run free, King Harry.

Lucy

I knew the day would always come when we would lose a Golden one. The time has come to say goodbye, a new diamond now shines brightly in the sky.

~Angela Watson

Lucy was my first dog. She joined me when I transitioned to a new life with Mark, Tom, and Becky.

‘Let’s get a golden retriever’, we said. ‘Let’s call her Toffee’, we said. ‘Call me Lucy’, she said. So we did.

Lucy was the catalyst for many things, including my love for Golden Retrievers, my fascination for how they learn, and my lessons in unconditional love.

A beautiful, wild, free spirit and independent soul, who could trash a garden in less than 5 minutes, she was always the first to comfort us when sad, and kept the other pups in order. She became a role model for leaders on how to motivate and engage with the strong willed, the independently minded, and the freedom fighters.

Towards the end, I heard a whisper on our walks, so quiet, I could easily ignore it. So I did. Until I could do so no more. There it was again, and again, during her longest sleeps, her stumbles up the back steps, and oh, that look in her big brown eyes.

Finally I listened.

Our hearts are and lives are so much richer, and much more golden, thanks to you precious one.