Our beautiful Samoan girl

On Saturday 3rd September we lost a light from our lives. After a week of illness and going down slowly Lucky lost the fight to breathe and her heart stopped.

It was not until she refused to eat for 2 nights running that we knew something was really wrong. It took 2 of us and a whole day off work to get her in the car, only her second time ever, and take her to the vet. A thorough check was made but no definite conclusions could be drawn as to what was the matter. She was young, only 4-5 years old and prior to this was strong and healthy. We could only conclude it to be some form of poisoning or something dreadful she ate.

Apparently in Samoa 4 years is the averge lifespan of a dog. There are not many options available for testing, certainly no x-ray or sophisticated blood tests. If tthere was no improvement the next thing to try was opening her up for exploratory surgery of the stomach to check for obstructions. She did not appear to have a tender stomach though. It was more the short heavy breathing. In the mean time we administered hourly fluids by syringe. A combination of water and Niu, coconut juice, to combat dehydration.

We are going to miss her welcoming us home every night. Tearing around the section like a mad thing with her ears flapping up and down, chasing the pigeons and running towards us in such great excitement to see us that we thought she would bowl us over. You had to be quick too, to dodge the big lick she had waiting for you. She was a protective and jealous dog at times which was something we had to watch out for and she was the main suspect for the excavations in the garden but she came with us whenever we walked up to the shop and waited for us outside. She learnt to "sit" very quickly, no mean feat for a Samoan dog, and she learnt to wear a collar and to chase a ball, which we thought was pretty good for a dog suspicious of foreign objects and new experiences. Most of the time however she would roll on her back with her legs in the air waiting for a tummy tickle. She loved it when Adam rubbed her ears hard and she would lean her head against your hand until you did this for her.

She was the first dog I ever trusted and learned to love. When she had her puppies she led me up the street to show me where they were and she trusted me to pick them up. She may also be the only dog around who could scale a 1.2 metre high fence by climbing up it and fitting between the mesh and the barbed wire that was on top. This meant we could never keep her in. She was a free spirit who ran the street and was always up for chasing off the strays. She was a slightly palagised Samoan dog who didn't have a bath in the whole time we knew her as she was crafty at avoiding water.

Our beautiful Samoan girl will always be in our hearts and our minds. She is buried wrapped in a Samoan lavalava and surrounded by frangipani and hibiscus and she will be here in her street and at the place where she knew she was loved forevermore.

RIP our Lucky. We are glad to have spent time with you and glad we could show you some happiness during your life but we will miss you dearly.