Can we sleep in the woods tonight?

Eva has been deteriorating more rapidly the last few months. She has cataracts, very few lucid moments, is on massive doses of painkillers, has crippling arthritis in her hips and back legs, and has started to drag her feet on her walks. We are now in a window where it’s neither to early to let her go, but not so late that she is suffering.

She always enjoyed coming mountain biking. Some of you may remember her joining in with the Alaskan Puppies every time they did a handover at 24 hour races. Others might have seen her doing laps of Whernside at the Three Peaks. And of course there was time at Thetford where she and Zak kept doing laps of Oli and Phils tent while they were under the influence of hash cakes.

I’ll remember her as a trail dog that always wanted to come out hacking with me on the horse, even if she couldn’t get up the next day. As the dog that filled itself full of sand on a surfing holiday and cost us more in vets fees than our accommodation for two weeks! As a salty seadog that enjoyed canoeing round the Lakes, using the forward motion of the canoe to scoop water into her mouth when she got thirsty. As a bivvy companion that would wake at three in the morning all excited because we were all sleeping on the ground together like real wolves!

Rare Lakeland wolf

Tonight she’s on massive does of painkillers – fuck it we’re not worried about the long term effects, has scoffed a packet of cocktail sausages and is getting proper fusses.

Tomorrow night throw a stick to the stars for her.