Goodbye to an old mate

Last Thursday we farewelled our old friend Bundy. 

We knew that his time was approaching - he was close to 18 years of age which is a pretty good vintage.  18 years of loyalty and love - and  such a dignified  dog.  In the end his mobility issues were too much to delay the inevitable, and the vet put him to sleep.    

He was buried at our place.  He was a Smithfield cattle dog, a red stumpy tail.  A little unusual, not seen too often, they are a slightly different from the blue heeler type.  A little taller maybe than a standard cattle dog,  but solid and tough. 

I brought him home from the markets (back in the day when you could pay $50 for the pick of a litter in a cardboard box) and surprised my husband with a present.   There had been a minor burglary next door to us a few weeks earlier and we had talked about getting a guard dog.   A cattle dog turned out to be a good choice and  after Bundy came onto the scene, there were no problems.   

He proved to be a major part of our lives.  Always close by, well mannered and gentle to those he knew as accepted by us.  I think most people are a little wary of a cattle dog, but he was always well behaved.

In his later years, he had to put up with the intrusion of two more dogs into his life.  Angel, the bumbling black Labrador/kelpie cross, and Dexter the terrier cross.  Both well below his level of intelligence (sorry to Angel and Dexter, but it's true!).  But he accepted them into the family, while still maintaining his place as top dog.

Goodbye Bundy, you will be missed.