Alfie came to stay with myself, Dixie and our two dogs in August 2007 and here he remained, apart from two brief ‘holidays’ until his death on January 18th 2008.  His disabilities took their toll and we made the decision that he should suffer no more.  Sue and I cradled and comforted him as he quietly passed away.  A fighter to the end, the vet needed to inject him with three sedatives before the final injection was administered.  As he lay sleeping, Sue and I realized how severe his condition had become.  There was a large swelling around his anus and his hip bone was almost breaking through the skin. In about three weeks the decision to euthanise would have been taken out of our hands.

When Alfie first came to stay I was told that his condition would improve but sadly it did not.  He improved for a short while and gained some momentum when walking.  However, when he was excited and wanted to move faster than his legs could carry him, he would shuffle along like ET invariably cutting his tail, testicles and paws on the hard surfaces.  I had a leather cover made to protect his tail but it never stayed on!  Dixie rigged up a running line under the house and we covered the area with blankets and rugs!  We bought him a playpen and a baby bath; baths were frequent as he was unable to stand when defecating.  In the evening my two dogs would keep him company in the kitchen until it was time for bed.

At night I can still picture Alfie’s face as he shuffled over for a cuddle before I turned out the light.    He slept on a sheepskin rug by the side of our bed, the rug was donated by a wonderful couple who tried to adopt Alfie but whose incontinence had proved to be too much for them to cope with.  He never moved or made a sound until I got up to carry him down three flights of stairs, always licking my face and smiling.  This could often be at three or four in the morning when I was awakened by a familiar smell!

Alfie had an insatiable appetite for food and life. He enjoyed walks with the dogs, playing and rides in the car.  We could not leave him alone for too long and it was difficult to take him anywhere because he had no control of his bladder or bowel movements.  But for all this; it would be impossible not to love his infectious smile and admire his courage, impossible not to smile at his ET shuffle and his attempts to meet and greet you!  He just wanted to be loved.  He touched the heart of everyone he met.

I used to teach adults with severe learning difficulties who had problems communicating.  I felt they taught me more about life than I could ever teach them and it was a very humbling experience.  With Alfie and the other stray animals Sue and I try to help, the experience is the same.  How could this little man and others treated so abominably by humans, forgive us and trust us so implicitly?

Alfie is buried in the small Garden of Remembrance at Happy Valley. I miss him so much.  God bless you Alfie.

It was at this time that we decided we should start a new fund.  The Alfie Fund was born and although we have very little in the way of funds we do try to make a small difference to the animals that may slip through other welfare organisations’ net

Carole                 

Alfie's Memorial Headstone crafted in Mosaic on stone