11/10/2026
Dear friends
I’m sending you so much love and gratitude from Rainbow Bridge for everything you’ve done for me in Bosnia and, in the last chapter of my life, in England. The butler was told in September last year that I only had 6 months to live but I thought sod that. I’ve not battled through everything in life to turn my toes up now, having only been in my new home for 4 months. So although I was now on a kidney friendly diet (a yummy white fish kibble the butler found, which went down a treat) she still spoiled me. Of course she did. I loved the weekend treat of chicken wings and at other times we had fish twists and other treats too. Bless her, the butler couldn’t even sit down to a meal without seeing me staring at her with the unspoken understanding that any leftovers would be fairly shared out amongst the dogs and that included me. Every meal ended with the words “That’s for Oscar”.
Although I had the looks of a movie star Polar Bear, forget swimming. Explosive movement was my forte. Despite my size, I could sprint after a thrown titbit and the butler always smiled at my exaggerated sideways leaps whilst waiting impatiently for chicken wings. My nosework was impressive too, no morsel of food was ever left on the dog field. As time went on, I didn’t feel up to going out for walks but from my bedroom porch I had the run of the dog field and every time she walked up the drive, so did I. Keeping up with the local sniffs and leaving my own scent was important to me and the butler knew that. After holiday let guests had left I loved to check out the paddock even while the butler was muttering under her breath inside the Lodge “For god’s sake, they haven’t even put the hoover round!” Sometimes in conversation she would whisper to a fellow dog lover ‘He’s got terminal kidney disease’ because she didn’t want me to hear those words and also because she couldn’t quite believe it herself. Even though there were daily tablets and antibiotics on standby for the occasions when my skin broke down, once we’d got past the 6 month mark she allowed herself to breathe again. And so the clock quietly ticked away in the background with neither of us being aware of it.
The butler swore she’d never known a dog who loved to be fussed as much as me – my favourite thing was having my ears rubbed. Some cruel people had cut them (and my tail) off when I was young but having the stumps massaged was pure bliss. Did you know that if you weigh 88kg and lie across someone’s feet, they can’t get away and have to give you tummy rubs until they lose the feeling in their arms? I learned that tactic very early on! Strangers were wary of me at first but when the butler reassured them that I was friendly, they tentatively stroked me and soon realised I was a p***y cat. The only time I barked was when I’d had enough of being in the house and wanted to be let back into the porch again so I could lounge on my memory foam bed or wander off to investigate new sniffs on the field.
Remember what I said about the ticking clock though? Well I hid the secret of my weight loss until the very end when things suddenly became too much to manage. Despite the best efforts of the vet and then a referral hospital, time had caught up with us. The butler and Mark Thompson were there as I peacefully slipped away and Roxy’s Rainbow made sure I was home again the next day, the circle complete again. Despite putting on a brave face for work the butler was broken behind the scenes so of course I made one more visit to let her know that it was the right thing to do. She’d always promised me that we would be together until the end and we were.
There are so many thank yous I would like to make. To Emina, Vana and my Bosnian rescue Nirina. They took me in and helped me though so many health battles, fearing that each year might be my last. Emina had all the stress of managing my conditions with limited funds but she always made sure I had what I needed. Thank you a million times Emina, battling for me throughout the 5 years at Nirina, I owe you my life for sure. Thank you also to the volunteers who kindly took me for walks and shared my story in the hope that one day I might have my own home. Those times out of my kennel were pure joy for me. And finally to the butler. I’m pretty sure you wondered if you might’ve bitten off more than you could chew when I jumped out of the transport van after 3 days on the road travelling through Europe. I was the last dog to be dropped off and after a racehorse wee I dragged you down the driveway and we were off. Thank you for the 17 months we spent together. I am forever your boy and you will always be my butler. I reached the Bridge safely, all mended and young again. Now I can watch over you and everyone I love until we are reunited.
Take care everyone and thank you again for everything, love from big paws Oscar (Oz) with a little help from his butler ###
The butler also sends massive thanks to her friends Bridget, Sheila, Ann and of course Joanne and Mark Thompson. Joanne sent us a memory foam bed for Oscar, searched for a surgical suit when his sores were bad, gave her birthday money to help pay for vet bills and sent Mark to be with us when we needed muscle and moral support in the last 2 days. What would we do without you? Amazing people indeed, our thanks will never be enough!
