" I know that I won't forget you"

August 31st 2023, was the first anniversary of the publication of my book for children, The Dog Who Arrived In A Box--A short story about a very special dog. It is for children aged 3---8 years and for adults reading to children.

" Taking something and making it into a story that you share with someone else, even if it is just one person--that is an act of love" Katherine Heiny. (Author)

The hard part is not losing a loved one or a much loved pet. The hard part is learning to live everyday without them. Kai was a much loved beagle.

I have, nevertheless, been helped by the response to the book and the numerous positive and complimentary comments which I have received from family, friends, neighbours as well as strangers here and in Australia, Canada and most recently in Japan.(See previous blogs.)

Most of all I have been helped and supported on my daily walks by all the dog owners I have encountered. In particular, by all the beagles I meet.
There is:
Ollie beagle, an old friend of Kai, who was always getting into scrapes.Sadly, his owner recently lost him.
Trevor beagle, whose similarity to Kai in looks and antics is uncanny.
Milo beagle, a mischievous puppy who reminds me of Kai when he was young.
Ruby beagle, a sedate female dog.
Dash and Darwin beagles who can bark for England.
Bella beagle and
Harriet beagle not often seen but delightful when I do meet them.
Bagel beagle who lives in Perth, Australia.

All of these beagles plus a range of other dogs, with special mention of Cassie, Clary, Sandy, Luna, Barney, Hettie, Percy, Muffin and Rocco have helped me to come to terms with not having Kai for company when I walk. They have enabled me to overcome my immense sadness and the sharp pain in my heart when I see someone with a much loved dog. They have made me smile, laugh and just enjoy being around them and in their company.

Many dog owners ask me if I will share/get another dog, but what does it mean to love someone new when your heart is still with someone you have lost.

My memories of Kai are still vivid--Him sitting on the railway sleepers.
Chasing and being chased by a big ginger cat.
Eating ice-cubes on very hot days.
Lying down on the yoga mat.
Waiting at the window and looking out of it.
Playing with his elephant.
His valiant efforts to get treats.
His love of cheese.
I still struggle at the cheese counter in the supermarket when I see his favourite brand of cheese--Edam. For many months I could not bring myself to reach for it. It was the same with dog treats.

The difficulty is that there have been no new memories of Kai because he is not here and eventually the memories I have will gradually fade. The joy of my book is that they are recorded there. I know that I won't forget you Kai.

Other small comforts include looking at photos of Kai, in particular, the screen shot on my mobile phone, as well as regular visits to the rose garden to look at the rose bushes planted in his memory. It is lovely to see them thriving and producing vibrant red and yellow roses.

I did not write the book for personal gain so I am very pleased that as a result of it's publication, I have been able donate all royalties to charities which mean a lot to me and which support animals/animal welfare.This year donations have been made to my local Animal Samaritan Group as well as to International Humane--a charity which fights cruelty to animals world wide.

In 2024, I intend to donate to Support Dogs for Autism, Epilepsy and Disability. Also to FRAME, Fund For The Replacement Of Animals In Medical Experiments, which is a charity dedicated to new methods that will remove the need for laboratory animals in scientific research, education and testing.

As a matter of principle, I have not ventured onto social media in relation to promoting The Dog Who Arrived In A Box, instead relying on book reviews, leaflets, postcards, book marks and giving complimentary copies to individuals/organisations/bookshops/local nurseries/schools/libraries as well as self publicising whenever there is an opportunity.

Furthermore, despite being quite a technophobe and after overcoming my initial reservations, I have enjoyed writing my blog. So far, I have received positive feedback on it which is very encouraging.
I should like to thank and praise the Austin Macauley team for posting the photos for my blogs, which I always send separately to the blog! I will endeavour to improve my skills in this area.

The year since publication has been a very busy one and there have been lots of new and exciting events which have happened. Most important, and one of the happiest has been that Kai's owner has become a proud grand mother to a set of beautiful, identical twin girls, who have brought so much love, joy and comfort as well as hard work into her life.
I am sure that Kai would have loved them because he loved everyone, especially children. He would have waited patiently for them to drop any scrap of food.

It is sad though, that anything positive and good which has happened since losing Kai has been tinged with sadness and regret that he is not here to be part of it.

This quote from Rabbi Wittenberg comes to mind.

" The loss of every life by which we have been deeply touched stays with us always."

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