A sad end to the weekend

What had been a really nice weekend turned out to have a very sad ending when I got a call from my grandparents to say they thought Spangle had died which came as a complete shock, she was only 11...no age for a collie really.

She went to live with them last summer, they had lost their last two cavaliers and were missing having a dog around but didn't want a youngster so Spangle made the 4 mile move from our village to theirs to live with them in Wrea Green. Spangle quickly became my gran's constant shadow and her beautiful looks and sweet nature earned her admirers everywhere they went and she had a little fan club on their regular walks around Wrea Green and Lytham.

They had come home from church on Sunday evening to find her peacefully laid 'asleep' in her bed, the vet thinks she must have had a heart attack in her sleep so would have known nothing about it which is an absolute blessing for her but such a shock for them and they were both totally inconsolable, just all so upsetting. My gran says that it hurts so bad because she just loved her too much and I think that's a feeling we have all felt at some time in our lives, my heart is breaking for them more than Spangle...she had a wonderful life, they had only just returned from 3 weeks away in the caravan up in the Lakes District where she'd been out walking and playing in the woods and rivers every day and her last afternoon had been spent enjoying the sunshine with a nice walk through Wytch Wood in Lytham, a place she really loved to run and explore. We will all miss her dearly, she was such a gentle and sweet dog and an absolute pleasure to have around and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to own such a fantastic dog as her. She will live on through her children and grandchildren; she touched many lives and leaves behind a great legacy. Run free my sweet girl.

Some of my favourite Spang pics from the last couple of years...