I didnt think I would be kick starting this blog with yet more tragic news. My plan was to write about the wonderful times Ollie and I had in England, and then resume writing about our journey, now we are back in Greece.
Not to be. On Monday, I took Ollie for a walk in the hills above Vliho. I thought we'd explore new tracks and have a long leisurely walk. But about 45 minutes in, on a remote track up above the bay, he started making strange snuffling noises, and then staggered and fell over, and within 1 minute he had died.
I don't know what happened.. the most likely thing is that he picked up something poisoned. Whilst it is illegal here in Greece to do that, occasionally it happens.. but not for some years here in Vliho.. People have been walking their dogs there and have had no problems… maybe he was stung by a scorpion or been bitten by a snake, though apparently death is not usually so quick and the vet couldn’t find any bite. All the vet could definitely say was that he had had a pulmonary embolism.. which is either poison or an extreme allergic reaction.
I could not bear to have him opened up for a postmortem.. having lost Mara just 4 weeks ago .. she had to have an postmortem and the thought of having Ollie cut up as well was just too appalling.
I am completely devastated. He was a very special dog… whilst I have loved all my flatcoats, he was just something else…. very wonderful.. Calm biddable, athletic, intelligent and a real credit to the breed. He was my new soul mate and I now don’t know what to do….
I’m still in shock. I just cannot think… we have just yesterday afternoon buried him in the dunes next door to Skye There are now two graves covered in white stones out there in the dunes, and hopefully Ollie will be with Skye whereever they are...
One thing I do know.. I am not staying in Greece. I want to be back in England, walking my beloved flatcoats over the hills. We had a lovely time before I left, and he’d been great travelling and taken to boat life very well… but no way will I bring another dog out here, if that’s what the Greeks do. I cannot live somewhere where there is a chance of someone poisoning my dogs..
