Torteval Irish Wolfhounds

Mandy's tribute to her special girl:

Having fought such courageous battles over her last years, defying death twice (bone cancer then pneumonia), Milka continually surprised so many by overcoming each hurdle with consummate ease, and never yielding.

Unfortunately, the medical dictionary caught up with her when she contracted lymphoma in late December. We had thought it was under control, and her chemo was reduced to every two weeks, but then she began having trouble with her hind legs and the pain became unbearable. Continuous, strong pain killers can only do so much, so we decided it was time whilst she was still herself.

A very special thank you Hilary for her help and for this:

Four-Feet

I have done mostly what most men do,
And pushed it out of my mind;
But I can't forget, if I wanted to,
Four-Feet trotting behind.

Day after day, the whole day through
Wherever my road inclined
Four-feet said, "I am coming with you!"
And trotted along behind.

Now I must go by some other round,
Which I shall never find
Somewhere that does not carry the sound
Of Four-Feet trotting behind.

Rudyard Kipling

We gave her a good final day (lots of pain killers, of course) with a final amble on a beach that she adored, a paddle in the sea, lots of steak, chocolate ice cream and a warm bed before the final curtain call.

In life, she touched so many people and one thing she has taught us was to never give up. We have been very lucky to have had her and she is already sorely missed.