Thursday, May 20, 2010

A belated thank you.





No sign yesterday of Yves, Ross his wild haired Irish sidekick or the morose lad in the blue bib overalls. In the land of the carefully monitored 35 hour work week they seem to have already filled their quota. Their absence means that the decking sits uncompleted in the middle of the garden- Wilf seems to think that the unfinished framework is some sort of obstacle course for him to work his way through and around. Hours of fun were had squeezing under beams and lumbering over spars. He has also carefully and precisely christened each plank and support.

Life has been hectic over the last couple of weeks or so and it's only now that there's time to go back and read all your comments and posts. What an outpouring from so many kind hearts. When we started the blog it was a light hearted, quick and efficient way of keeping in touch with the family. Yet here we are two and a half years on and we find people from all over taking the time in their hectic schedules to think about a small dog in the south of France. For his family there was one event that forever transformed Digby from being a little PON into a giant . Reading your comments it seems the family the little giant touched was bigger than we ever imagined.

Dogs have a bubbling sense of enjoyment, always finding what in life is pleasing, attractive and affectionate. Their days are a quest for laughter and delight. They are constantly on the look out for new things to bring merriment, to console us for what ails the world. To all of you who commented and even posted - thank you. It's touching that there are so many caring folk out there who enjoy and want to share the quality of chaos that our friends bring. They remind us of the miracle of existence. Above all dogs understand that merriment has to be shared - like champagne adventures can't be enjoyed alone. Thank you so much for sharing Digbys .

30 comments:

  1. Quality of chaos - Angus, that sums up so perfectly one of the great pleasures of sharing one's life with a dog.
    Cheers, Gail.
    Bertie adds: Rest assured I am doing my very best to provide quality chaos...Toodle pip!

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  2. Just to add: re Sir Ian Wood's City Square plan. Unfortunately Aberdeen Council manages only poor quality choas (and worse decisions!).
    Gail.

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  3. Methinks it is I who should be thanking you, for sharing Digby with us all.

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  4. We can only echo the sentiments above. Thanks for sharing Digby....and Wilf.

    And we love your day-to-day experiences in France.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Kendra & Bella

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  5. This whole Blogging thing reminds us everyday that there is still caring & compassion in the world...

    Digby stole our hearts & WE Thank YOU for sharing him with us...

    We only wish we had the pleasure of knowing him longer...

    Abby & her Mom xxxooo

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  6. I also echo what has been said! While I was of course heartbroken at the loss of your precious Digby, I rejoice at the resilience of Wilf, and love reading about your life and the people who are part of it--Including Yves & Ross his wild haired Irish sidekick who are not part of it and have seemingly vanished--I hope they reappear soon--How much more christening can Wilf do?

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  7. And a big thank you for sharing your world in France with those of us in various parts of the globe. We are indeed a global society and thanks to the wonders of cyberspace, we can connect and form friendships through simple blog postings. Yours is a joy to read, one I come back to everyday.

    Liz

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  8. Me too -- I want to thank you for letting us share in your lives -- the fun and the sadness. Reading your posts throughout the ups and downs of Digby's struggle, and reading other's comments, I felt that I was in touch with something truly awesome, something profound, something good that survives even when the world seems so full of ugliness.

    So yes, Angus, thank you!

    xxx Joan

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  9. Woooos! We want to thank you for allowing us into your lives, and sharing your love , heartache and pain, we are all blessed to know one another and find this incredible support team on blogging!
    ~husky kisses~
    -Kira The BeaWootiful and her Mom

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  10. Dog people are dog people the world over. We will sniff each other out and form a pack and when one of our own is threatened or needs us for support we surround them with l♥ve.

    Yes, dog people are dog people and dog people are the best people on earth.

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  11. Thank you for sharing your chaos, and the wonderful Digby and Wilf.

    Friends want to make any hurts less and all the joys more, and sometimes is nice just to know you're not alone in the good times and the hard bad times.

    You're very welcome for the little things we did, and how we would have loved to make your families hurt less but we all know the price of love and pay everyday.

    Glad Wilf is making the deck his own. He looks a little "peppier" and smiling in his pictures.

    XxoooXXoooXxooo

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  12. Thanks to you for allowing us into your lives.

    Woofs and Licks,
    Maggie Mae

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  13. In this day of gigantic oil spills, bank bailouts, or saving a country from collapse we seek to find the simple things that connect us to who we really are...
    The adventures, mishaps, yes even the passings of our beloved pets root us in all that is really important.
    Susan x

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  14. There are moments in bloggy-land with obvious elements of nostalgia. This is one of them. As everyone else has said, thank YOU for sharing DIGBY with us...and thank YOU for continuing to share WILF with us!
    Reading your beautiful blog, on a daily basis, always gives me a sense that 'life is okay!'. You do a lot for all of us and you don't even know it!
    Sending lotsaluv to you all.
    MAXMOM IN SA

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  15. Mum says people are wonderful when we let them.

    There is a nice lady here in America that rescued an older corgi that ended up having to have all sorts of tests and operations and stuff. The lady maxed out all her credit cards and wanted to do everything she could but she ran out of money. She even asked if someone could take the dog (that she now loved) if they could afford to take her to the vet. Once the Daily Corgi got hold of the message, people made on-line donations of over $2,600+ so now dog and owner are set for the next few vet visits. (http://maggiethecorgi.tumblr.com/)

    You will be amazed at the depth of compassion and generosity of people you will never meet.

    And why this generosity never extends to sending me biscuits and bones is beyond comprehension. I think it is just rude. (Wilf, I will send you Dottie, my cardigan corgi sister, for a box of biscuits).

    Love, Dozer

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  16. I think it is simply that dogs bring out the best in us. Everyone who loves a dog in their life understands that treasure and that it's always too short. Dogs would be perfect if only they lived forever without sickness or pain! I've enjoyed sharing Digby and Wilf's journey through your blog immensely, not to mention the exploits of Madame Bay and the people of your small town. Your dry wit and large vocabulary always appeal to me, not to mention the funny situations that you always seem to find yourselves in. It's not a surprise to me that so many people felt drawn to your story.

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  17. Thank you for so honestly sharing your lives - it adds immeasurable to the quality of ours here -
    Hugs xoxoxo
    Sammie and family

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  18. Dear Angus & Family,
    I echo all of the above comments. The world is truly a small place, thank-you for sharing your corner of it.
    Looking forward to future posts, please give Wilf a scritch in his favorite spot!
    Fay & family in N.CA

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  19. Lovely sentiments...my therapist told me this week how our beloved pets try to get us to slow down, take time to play, sniff the air...and they are so grateful when we do!

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  20. Thank you for allowing us to come along with you on your journey and for giving us the precious opportunity to get to know both Wilf and Digby. I didn't know him long but I feel richer for the short time I did know him.

    Amber (& Mayzie)

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  21. Wilf is SO cute. I have recently discovered your blog, and, I have fallen inlove. :-)

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  22. i am so glad to have found your blog! as everyone else has said, thank you for sharing digby and wilf and france with us! i especially appreciate your honesty in sharing about digby even at the end when i'm sure it was very hard to do so.
    the solidarity of this blogging community is amazing -- something i did not expect when i began blogging a few short months ago.

    the booker man and asa's mama

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  23. Thank you for taking the time, even in the midst of what must have been terrible distress, to take the time to update us on Digby's condition. It would have been understandable if you had not been up to bothering, but each day so many of started the day wondering how he was faring. Now we just wish for happiness and healing for you all.

    wags, Lola

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  24. I thought of you many ties while I was on holiday, hoping that your family was finding its way through the depths of sadness. I'm glad to hear that Wilf is showing signs of returning to normal. Our K almost fell apart completely when she lost her elderly brother when she was just a puppy. However, she eventually bounced back - partly with the guidance of a new older dog (S) who took her under his wing.

    I know that it must be hard to share so much with the blogging community but your grace under such difficult circumstances has been an inspiration to me. Thank you. I'm still thinking of you all.

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  25. I think that folks who love dogs are generally good people. The fact that we can come to actually love and shed tears over a little(giant) PONS in France is hard to explain except thet dog people feel the pain. With their joy, inevitably comes the pain.
    I have wondered myself, when I lost my mother, when I lost Shamus. Hard to fathom but it is a bit of a huge family that simply loves dogs, feels for what folks go through, which we all will go through. (That same family got me through my mother's death) We become friends as crazy as that seems. I frequently speak to internet friends on the phone because they "get it" Never met them in ral life, and will never meet y'all in real life(not visiting France on my budget anytime soon... ha)
    The fact that you were brave enough and had it together enough to take us on your journey explains some of it.(I had not the courage to share what we went through with our Shamus..)
    Thanks for the gift. of sharing, which had to be hard.
    I do not know if you are a member of DWB(Dog With Blogs) but it becomes a family. To share joys with, sorrows with, and folks that understand "it is NOT just a dog"
    Many folks in my own family do not get it. Dog people do. There you have it.
    (Your style of writing doesn't hurt either. I do not know what your line of work is-though I have some guesses, but, you should write books. My opinion and many others)
    God Bless. And please do not feel that any formal thanks are due. We loved Digby from afar, he with the heart the size of Texas. If you will email your physical address, I have simething I would like to send you and the "font"and Wilf.(and poss a new kid on the block=just sayin) Something that would give me great joy to mail.(I have given my email before, and I believe y'all would enjoy it. the texas sun dog at g mail dot com)
    We all understand the pain. Guess that makes us a community. We also share in joys. We support each other.
    We all have busy days-some busier than others-but there comes times to circle the wagons (cowboy talk. Native Texan, what do you expect? HAHA)
    Hugs all around, and a good old scritch, rug surfing, swing biffing and hope you can get a big bucket for sploshing!
    Wishing you the very best,
    Jamie & the Texas Sundogs

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  26. The Bougalou BearMay 21, 2010 at 7:10 PM

    Thank YOU for sharing Digby with all of us. In a very compelling way and for a too short while, he became a cherished member of a very global pack and we felt he was a little bit our dog too.

    Which brings me to this respectful request: every year in June we have a 3 Ks "Dog-a-Thon" as a fundraiser for various K9 rescue organisations. The Bougalou Bear participates as a proud alumnus for Boston Terrier Rescue Canada and I usually follow at the other end of the leash.
    Digby, of course, was a PON, not a BT. Should you and the Font agree however, we would be honoured to dedicate our walk this year to the memory of gallant Digby.

    We trust Wilf won't object...

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  27. We feel lucky to have "known" Digby for the short while that we did.

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