Boris's Story

Boris came to us in March 2004 he was a German Sheppard crossed with a Siberian Husky, we rescued him when he was 7 months old after being told he was a Collie, and that he would be put down within days if he wasn't re-homed, so we fostered him for 2 weeks and fell in love with him, so we adopted him when the 2 weeks were up, he really was a horror and uncontrollable in the beginning, some of our guests told us we were mad to keep him, we arranged for a dog trainer to come to the house to try and train him, but it did not seem to work, but we persevered and he turned out to be a really loving and friendly dog, he was the best dog and friend we have ever owned.

When we got him his name was shadow which we did not like and he did not respond to it, so one day I just started calling out names and when I said Boris he looked around,  so we re-named him Boris, he was great around children and had a fantastic character, everyone who met him adored him, his eyes were mesmerising as one was white and the other brown, the pupils were also different colours, one was green and the other red when light was shined at them, he had an almost jet black coat with just one white patch on his chest, after only having him a few weeks he managed to escape through the gate, we looked everywhere for him but could not find him, so we went to report him missing at Great Yarmouth police station, luckily some boys had found him and handed him in, and we found him looking very sorry for himself in the dog cells, we were so happy we found him.

When he came up to the bar he loved to play with plastic lemonade bottles to get the caps off once the cap was off he lost interest and went looking for another, he also ate his fair share of cheddars, as he loved cheese, he loved his soft toys which he never ripped to bits just carried them around, he always picked one up if someone came in to the living room, or we took him to meet one of our guests in the guest lounge, the only thing you had to watch out for, was his tail when he wagged it, he would knock glasses flying, the only things he seemed to chew up were balls and it did not matter how hard they were he would manage to get through them, I even gave him a ball cock thinking he could not possibly get through it but he did, before we knew grapes were bad for dogs he would hold one in his mouth throw it and chase after it over and over again, then eat it, he loved rawhide chews and would climb on you to go and get him one, he would not give up until he got one, he also had a foot fetish and would nudge mine and Pam's feet with his nose, in the evenings for us to take off our shoes and socks so he could lick our feet or Pam's shoes and slippers, he used to love to sit up on our fire escape when the weather was nice and just sit and watch people going by, he would sit up there for hours, whenever our fire alarm was checked which was twice a year, he would howl like a wolf when the sounders went off, it was so funny to watch him, it did not matter where he went he could not escape the noise, when it came time for his walk he always got really excited and would leap up to get his lead, he did not walk very well as he always wanted to go to other dogs, he was not good with other dogs when he was on his lead, he could only have short walks, because it affected his back legs, the only person he ever nipped was a policeman, he had a thing about uniforms, he loved going out in the car, he would sit there watching everything and loved the wind in his hair, like other dogs loved to play with water, and always went for the hosepipe when Pam was watering the flowers, he was always an embarrassment when he had to go to the vet, he would not sit quietly in the waiting room, so we had to wait outside with him until he was called, he was always good once we got into the surgery, he never turned his head to bite even when he had to have a finger in him or have his anal glands emptied, although our previous vet said he was a dangerous dog and said he should be muzzled, we changed vets.

We got Ruby a Staffordshire Bull Terrier from Pam's son Paul 3 years ago and they become inseparable she gave Boris lots of fun chasing about and tugs of war, they often slept together on the settee and with Pam, they followed each other around, they were great friends.

Towards the end Boris was having trouble getting on our settee and could not get on the bed, so we knew his legs were getting worse, sometimes I would have to help him by lifting his back legs for him, he loved to lay on the bed with Pam, we took him to the vet for his vaccinations and had his legs checked the next day he could not walk at all, both his back legs had given out making it impossible for him to walk, it was heart breaking to watch him try to move around, he would sit on his bum with his back legs out in front of him and pull himself along with his front legs, then when you would try to help him when he got stuck, he would  scream in pain, he had stopped eating for several days and was not interested in his rawhide chews, the only thing he would eat was  his Primula cream cheese, which wasn't enough to sustain him, he had only had one poo in eight days, he knew it was wrong to wee on the carpet and did his best not to, which had to have made him even more uncomfortable.

On the 7th May 2015 one of hardest days of our lives, Boris in so much pain we had to have him put to sleep, we could not let him suffer any more, he passed away at home at 12:40 with me and Pam stroking and cuddling him for reassurance.

Boris has left a massive hole in our lives and we will miss him every day, he gave us so much love and we are never going to forget him, Ruby is missing him as well she has really changed since his passing, she is so quiet and subdued, she still looks for him.

Boris we love you and miss you so much, I really do hope we meet again. xxxxxxxx

Click here for Boris’s Picture Gallery