Memories

Best Buds

He was a lover not a fighter, but he could hold his own. It was almost like he was a ‘bouncer’, because other dogs (not properly controlled by their idiot owners) seemed to just go for him. German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Staffies bred to fight – they took him on and he won each time. His poor scarred old head used to scare kids in the park, his big ole smile showing all his teeth and happiness to see another potential friend to play with used to be misinterpreted. Mothers clutched children to their breasts, teenagers climbed trees and postmen used to run the other way. Not in the early years, but later on when he turned silver and started huffing and panting and getting all rusty.

He didn’t need to be walked on a lead, but we attached one anyway , just so people didn’t feel threatened. He made so many little friends. If a child was frightened at the park, he would sit down, huffing and puffing and smiling. We would reassure the mum or dad that he won’t hurt anyone and in a few minutes of showing a child how to approach a dog, there would be a kid happy to have a new friend in Tysie Boy. He wasn’t a large dog but Staffies have a bad rep.

I can’t work out if this is silly or not but one of the reasons I didn’t have a homebirth was because it would have been too distressing for him! Maybe if he had been a girl dog that had been through a birth her own – but I could just see myself tripping over him whilst I paced the hallway and howling outside the door in fear during the crucial moments….or jumping in the birth pool with me for a splash and a roll. No, that was the right decision in retrospect!


Last year we pensioned him off to live in the country with Scorpios mum. Scorp was there most of the time anyway and it was getting too much for the old fella to have Cyclone jumping on his head.
That’s not to say he didn’t adore the kids to the moon and back. They both pulled themselves up to standing via Tyson. They watched telly on the floor using him as a pillow, included him in every game and piled pillows and blankets all over him, much to his delight……and theirs until he farted with joy.
The funniest incident must have been the day we found Cyclone and Ty in the kitchen. Ty clearly was in two minds about obeying his littlest master because he was being forced to lie down against the cupboards so Cyclone could stand on his back to reach the breadknife on the bench.


Oh I could go on for hours. We could have made millions on Funniest Home Videos if we kept the camera on him for a few hours a day.
In any case…we knew the end was nigh. Tyse was in pain, his heart was failing but it couldn’t seem to let go. There were days he was fine, but nights he was suffering terribly. He was 16 and most Staffies just don’t last that long. His shiny brindle coat was frosty with age.

Last weekend the kids went to Scorpios. They took Tyson down to the river as usual and he was like a puppy again, dragging enormous tree branches up to the bank, diving under to retrieve rocks and playing tug-o-war until they all fell over in hysterics.
It took a very long time to walk home, he nearly had to be carried. When they got back they put him on his bed, snuggled him in his blankets and everybody kissed and cuddled him.


After a Perfect Day, finally that almighty heart gave in and it was the end of an era.