Our Beloved Dog, MJ

Our beloved MJ died on October 15th and I was absolutely heartbroken :(

In 2009, when we were living in Fiji, we rescued a pregnant dog from the street. She'd been attacked by a gang of men who'd broken her leg. We called her Betsy-Lou. On 14th June 2009, she gave birth to nine puppies on our verandah, one of whom was our gorgeous MJ. We think his dad was a Rhodesian Ridgeback. He was a sensitive puppy who used to cry for human company, even when he was with his siblings!

In March 2010, we moved to Qatar, in the Middle East, and brought MJ, and his sister, Panda-Boo, with us. He grew into an enormous, handsome boy, who weighed 65kg in his prime. He was a real gentle giant; all he wanted was to give love and to receive love, and he'd always give you his paw to ask for some affection. He was truly one of the family and we all completely loved and adored him.

In October 2019, MJ became unwell. He was admitted to the veterinary hospital for 4 nights where he was diagnosed with high liver enzymes, IMHA, low plasma protein, high white blood cell count and ascites. The vet couldn't be sure what the main cause of his symptoms was. She told us there was nothing more she could do, so on Saturday 12th October we brought him home. We were determined to cure him and we put him on a regime of traditional medicine, alternative medicine and reiki.

On Monday 14th October, I had to go to Dubai for medical appointments, but George continued the protocol. On Tuesday morning, when George woke up and went downstairs, MJ was standing up, wagging his tail, waiting for him. They then went for their morning walk and MJ walked further than he had for a while. We felt really hopeful that our treatments were working and MJ would pull through. That afternoon, however, he took a turn for the worse. He was struggling to breathe, so George rushed him to the vets, where he died in his arms. I was on the phone to him at the time. We were all devastated, and we still are.

MJ was one of a kind, a completely beautiful soul who's left a huge hole in our hearts. We're deeply grateful for the 10 wonderful years we were lucky enough to spend with him, we just wish it could have been longer.

RIP MJ. We will love you eternally xxx I made this remembrance video to remind me of all the happy days we were blessed to spend with you xxx