Vale Daisy

Daisy Winning

Winnie, D Dog, Daiz-o-la, Dame Daisy, the Silverback, Miss Velcrofur, Miss Poodlelegs, Daisy of the Jungle

Treasured member of our family 25 September 2010 – 8 November 2024

Once settled in, Daisy intended to be Top Dog, much to Scarlett’s disgust. There were fights, which Daisy initiated and always lost. She and Scarlett both ended up with multiple cases of stitches. She never learned. But we did. When we saw the pouty-chest and quivering tail approaching Scarlett, we knew to separate them.

She escaped at Venus Bay numerous times. Sometimes we would be running around the streets looking for her; other times she would just turn up after half an hour, covered in burrs and very pleased with herself. Like all our dogs, she loved the peace and tranquility at Venus Bay. The creatures and smells. Doggie Heaven.

We called her Miss Velcrofur. If she went outside, she would come in with leaves, blossoms or whole twigs and little branches stuck in her fur or trailing behind on her legs.
Daisy loved Sirius from the moment he arrived. He was her puppy and she mothered him beautifully. Until he was bigger than her, and bowled her over in their games. She retired from parenting at that point.

Daisy was a very smart dog. She had received training before we got her, and went through training with us. She got to level 3 with me and then much later she starred at training to prepare her for the Pet Therapy assessment. She loved the puzzle toys I bought for her, and was keen to explore them even in the week she died. Anything that challenged that clever brain.

We don’t know what breeds went into her complex little make-up. Two DNA tests provided entirely different results. But she definitely had poodle and terrier antecedents: those skinny little poodle legs and fine pointy snout, with long soft silky terrier fur that crinkled with a poodle-like wave. Her colouring changed enormously over her life. She started out black with white and tan markings. By the end of her life, she was almost entirely silver, with faint traces of tan on her legs and a black tail. She retained the black markings on the backs of her hind legs: her black stockings.
For most of her life, she sported a Mohawk Nose, with fur sticking up along the bridge of her nose.

Daisy was mostly a very healthy little dog. She did snap her cruciate ligament in early 2022, jumping onto the bed to tell Rod about an exciting walk we had just taken. That resulted in treatments including laser acupuncture and hydrotherapy. She didn’t love the walking in water, even with the treats, but she put up with it. Her leg healed perfectly. As she got older, her vision became very cloudy. Her hearing reduced. She had 19 teeth removed. None of this slowed her down.

She held on. We brought her home on Saturday 30 September. The vets gave us an average life span of three months. They told us some dogs could last as long as 12 months.
Still not a well dog, Daisy continued to improve. We headed off on a planned holiday on 7 December, leaving Daisy and the other two at home with our wonderful dog sitter Jen Berry. From 18 December till 9 January 2024 the dogs all went to Phillip Island for a holiday with Aunties Vicki and Jules, where Daisy was especially spoiled by Jules. We didn’t know if Daisy would be there to greet us when we came home. It was the hardest of decisions to go.

Daisy was so surprised when Vicki carried her back into our home. We were all so thrilled to see her looking stronger and brighter. Her summer holiday put a spring in her step.
Daisy did so well. With regular checks from her wonderful vet Juliet and constant care at home, she thrived, loving her walks and all the extra food she needed to keep her weight up. Daisy especially loved walks with the whole pack, and she would canter to catch up with the others after stopping for a good sniff.

What a joy it has been.

Daisy came to us via Save a Dog Scheme, where her name was Winnie. Indie found that confusing, so we renamed her Daisy, after Daisy Buchanan (Gatsby’s lost love). She was being fostered by our doggie day care owner, Lorraine. We couldn’t resist her, even though we had no intention of becoming a three-dog family. Daisy came for a play weekend. She never went back.

She was a barker. An escaper. A digger. She was also afraid. Someone had hit her. For the first few months, she would cringe and jerk away if we raised our hands in any way. Someone had been mean to her when she vomited too. She was always so apologetic.

Daisy was joyful. Gleeful. Smart and quick. She loved exploring. She used to run up the cliffs at the beach, and we had heart-stopping moments as she realised she didn’t know how to get back down. Then, suddenly, off she would go picking her way carefully and at great speed back to us. Same at Venus Bay, where she would run up into the sand dunes and explore.

Her funny little quirks included holding first one hind leg, then the other, out straight behind her after a pee: her arabesques (and enthusiastic scratching up the dirt). She would pee with one leg supported by a tree in a parody of the male cocked leg. Her jaunty bouncy entrances through the dog door asking: What have I missed? Carefully nosing leaves over her bones down the side of the house in a vain attempt to bury them (always amazed Scarlett found them). Discovering, on day two, that people food could be very interesting, and often worth throwing up in the air for a game before eating. Marking out Barbara as a soft touch for a bite of lunch, crowding over her shoulder. Discovering balls and learning to play.

Daisy loved people. She adored saying hello to kids and adults alike. When I found out about the Lort Smith Pet Therapy program, I knew she would love it. When we drove into the property at Kingston Rehab Centre, she would bark with joy, knowing she was going to meet new people. She was beloved of the staff as well as the patients. I would put Daisy on the bed of a patient and she would give them her adoring look, asking for a pat and melting hearts. Precious memories.

Daisy was the last dog to know my parents and Rod’s mum (she never met his dad, who died just weeks after Daisy joined us). She was there for many important events in our lives, including our house renovation, our parents’ deaths, Indie’s and Scarlett’s deaths, our retirements and selling our house at Venus Bay. She was our Covid companion too.

Then, in September 2023, while we were getting ready for a Kingston visit, Daisy had a little turn. Then three more over the next 24 hours. Her breathing rate went through the roof overnight. And we were off to the 24 hour specialist in Dandenong on Saturday 23 September 2023. Daisy spent 8 days in intensive care, in the oxygen box with heart and lung failure. She was so sick we were banned from visiting for the first four days. It looked like she would not pull through, with the only available meds making her worse in the first 48 hours. But, miraculously, she turned around and started to improve. Would it hold? Would it be enough to get her out of the oxygen box? We didn’t know. For days, we waited to hear whether we were going over to say goodbye or to have the sweetest of visits.

We rented a house in Venus Bay in July to give Daisy a last visit to her special beach at Doyle’s Road. She loved being able to be off the lead, and cantered on the foreshore. She was still well in October. Though no longer fast on her walks, she was bright, engaged and enjoying her life. By the end of October, she was bright, but less steady on her legs.
In the few days leading up to her death, her appetite reduced and she no longer wanted to go for a walk.

Daisy told us it was time to let her go on the morning of 8 November. Her last day included a visit from her sitter, Jen, and cuddles with our friend Barbara. She was happy to eat treats – chocolate cake and her favourite dog treats Evolution brand salmon. While we waited for Dr Amy from Paws at Peace, I sat on the floor of Rod’s office with Daisy on my knee and Sirius and Lucy on each side of me, with Rod right at Daisy’s head.

What a wonderful gift you have been to us, Daisy.