In ghungat mode:

Emerging for a conversation:

Standing on one of A’s shoelaces:

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Dearest Dante,

You’ve left us behind heartbroken. But, we know you are at peace. All we can say is thank you for the years of love and joy. A and R1 and the parents will miss you terribly. So will I. You were the most wonderful in-law anyone could have wished for.

I remember how naughty you were as a pup, racing across the road, and leaving us with our hearts in our mouths. How you chased rats, barking at the top of your voice. How you wriggled yourself between A and me every time we hugged or were sleeping, and would settle down with a contented sigh, you body pressed against both of us. How you guarded me when I was ill. How you sat on my hands while I was typing at the laptop and looked up at me with your shark-like grin. How you strongly voiced your disapproval when we ate something that you thought you should have too, only to sometimes turn it down after it was offered to you. How you remained still, ecstatic, when you were being scratched just the right way. How you ran, like a bullet-train, from room to room, when excited. How you greeted us all, tail wagging furiously.

Thank you darling Dante, A’s first baby, for reminding us how to love.

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Our late and beloved lab. I love everything about this photograph, though it’s not very clear and he looks fuzzy. The alert expression visible even through his smudginess. His giant paws (he grew into them). The pricked up ears. He’s looking at my mother (who took the photograph) the object of his unconditional adoration.

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Dog honoured for tackling burglar

A Labrador who fought to protect its owners from a knife-wielding burglar has been honoured for his bravery.

Toby was stabbed four times in the chest and legs by the intruder but still managed to chase him out.

The Morton family, from Barnoldswick in Lancashire, had been staying at Leconfield Barracks in East Yorkshire.

They awoke to find their pet in a pool of blood. But the eight-month-old survived and has been awarded by the animal charity, PDSA.

The armed burglar, who attacked Toby with three knives taken from the kitchen, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years for the offence.

Toby suffered a punctured lung in the attack, in June 2007, as he fought to stop the offender going upstairs to the sleeping family.

After succeeding in chasing the offender out of the building Toby then woke his owner, Jonathan Morton, by barking.
“ Had it not been for Toby’s determined barking and lunging at the intruder, Mr Morton would not have been aware of the threat to his family. ”
Chris Heaps, PDSA deputy chairman

Mr Morton and his wife Samantha praised their pet’s actions.

He said: “Toby is our hero. I dread to think what could have happened if he had not intervened that night.”

The Labrador has been presented with the PDSA Certificate for Animal Bravery by the charity’s senior deputy chairman Chris Heaps.

He said: “Had it not been for Toby’s determined barking and lunging at the intruder, Mr Morton would not have been aware of the threat to his family.

“Toby is indeed a worthy recipient of the PDSA Certificate for Animal Bravery.”
Link

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The rousing, patriotic sweep of Elgar’s Nimrod, the mournful tones of Nessun Dorma and the urgent eight-note allegro con brio opening to Beethoven’s fifth – they have all been helping animal behaviour experts to make life more comfortable for the elephants at Belfast zoo.

The researchers have discovered that playing classical music to the animals reduces abnormal behaviours such as swaying, pacing and trunk tossing, although they said elephants don’t seem to have a favourite composer.

Link

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