It's a very sad time here at Te Whare Mayfurr. 

Yesterday our 11 year old sable Shetland Sheepdog girl Sophie had to be assisted across the Rainbow Bridge due to an agressively-growing cancer in her abdomen. She had been clear of anything like this at her last vet checkup a month ago, but yesterday after noticing her acting quite lethargic and finding that her belly was untypically tight as a drum we took her to the vet again - and X-rays showed a cancerous mass inside her that was the size of a softball. There was nothing that we could do to treat her - the vet said Sophie would only have a week or so at most to live and she would be in steadily increasing pain towards the end. Her mother Rosie went the same way a few years ago, and by all accounts Rosie's end was not a pleasant one for either her or her new owners.

So with heavy hearts we did the only thing we could: have the vet put her to sleep to ease her suffering. We were with Sophie right up to the end, holding her and telling her she had been a wonderful girl as she slipped away from us. She'll be with her mother, her father Flint, her brother Kobi and sister Candi now. 

Here's some photos of our lovely girl. Rest well, dear Sophie. We miss you.