 |
Name: | Ben |
| Born: | 1980 | |
| Died: | 1996 | |
| Species: | Dog | |
| Gender: | Male |
My Story
Ben was a real family dog; originally taken in by my Grandma, just a few days before Bonfire Night, from some boys knocking door to door, with the little bundles of Ben and his siblings under their jackets.
How could she refuse the tiny blob of black fluff that wimpered and shivered in the cold?
Ben lived with my Grandma for several years and was my friend, companion and protector - walking by my side whenever I went to the shop for sweets, running alongside (or directly in front of) me on the way home - often stopping immediately ahead of me so I had to hurdle over him - I'm sure he did that because it amused him!
His favourite trick was to chase alongside me, trying to trip me up as he caught hold of my laces or my leg warmers (it was the 80's!) in his usually gentle mouth and seeing if he could throw me off balance - what a monkey!
Ben was such a quiet, mellow dog, he just went along with whatever was happening or was required of him, always loyal and gentle, always happy to offer his paw (in return for a few Rainbow Drops or a cube of cheese). He was quite the amateur dramatist; if you mentioned the word 'bath' he would hide in the cupboard under the stairs and shiver violently until you took pity and gave his stinky little self a cuddle instead! He was also similarly theatrical whenever he heard lightning, so funny to see this brave little dog hiding among the coats.
As he got older he started to go grey around his chin, like he'd dunked his head in a bag of flour, and he stopped attacking my shoe laces (as I, thankfully, stopped wearing legwarmers), but he was still the same old Ben and the whole family knew and loved him to bits.
Ben lived with us when Grandma had to move away, he even moved to Devon with us and met Nala, our border collie - I think he may have taught her a few naughty tricks such as how to escape from the garden and go to the park, as well as sure-fire methods for getting cheese from the humans (why do our dogs love cheese so much?).
He moved back to live with Grandma, and her cat, and stayed with his beloved 'mum' until his health failed, his eyes clouding with old age and his little legs fighting to hold up the weight of his expanding tummy.
He was a sweet, loyal gentleman of a dog until his final days and is still missed, loved and often remembered by us all.
Top of Page