Friedel came into our lives on a cold July day in 1991, almost fourteen years ago. After trying out a few names, which he didn’t respond to in the least, we, or should I say, he, finally settled on the name Friedel, after his human father. When my hubby was a little boy his mother would often call him Friedel, and that’s where the name comes from.
Friedel taught us so many things in his time such as love, loyalty, friendship and the simple joy of living.
He was a highly intelligent Stafford shire terrier, and as obedient as any dog could be. For his obedience he was always rewarded with a ‘treat’. Throughout his life he must have consumed a thousand kilograms of ‘treats’ because he was such a good and kind dog. I was never really sure whether we had trained him or he had trained us.
Just as he was well behaved and kind toward his family, so was he protective over his domain and his family. As long as Friedel was around I always felt safe.
Our human children were his brothers and sisters, and when they were reprimanded he sat with them his head bent in shame as though he were one of them. They too adored Friedel sharing their playtime, their food and even their beds with him. They swam and played together; it was normal that he was part of the group.
The earlier days were our happiest times together, Friedel was young and so were we. We played and laughed the world was our oyster!
The garden hose was a favourite of his, he would bite on it and dad would swing him around and around. Back legs thrusting and his head stiff and jerking from the effort, Friedel refused to let go. It was a battle of strength. Eventually he progressed to wooden logs, the sort used for pillars. These logs were his pride and joy. The problem with them was that in the evenings Carlos and I had to remove the small splinters from his lips with a pair of tweezers. When this took place, just as when it came to bath time he was too happy to oblige.
For most of his life Friedel was a healthy and happy dog. During his younger days we would take him for walks and often we’d remove his leash. He would never run away but simply follow us. Occasionally he would dash into the veld after something that had caught his interest, but always he returned to where we were.
He was a clown and loved it when we dressed him up and laughed at him, he would have done anything to please us, our devoted worshipper.
Whenever we packed our suitcases to go on holiday Friedel became depressed. He hated us leaving him behind. To make up for our absence we promised him a ‘squeaky toy’ upon our return.
Once when Friedel was a young puppy he received a good hiding from his dad because he ran out of our yard into the busy street after the children, ignoring our calls. A lesson well learned I must say, because he eventually taught all the animals including cats that came after him not to go into the street.
As he grew into an adult he became coach to the new puppies and other pets that came into our lives.
On our visit to Mosselbay in 1997 we took Friedel with us. Needless to say he farted incessantly in the car and also in a little curio shop past Oudtshoorn making the tourists think I was the one who did it. Well he loved the beach and the rocks but hated the salty taste of the sea. He also hated being left inside Ouma and Oupa’s rented house because he tried to escape by digging his way out. The result is that he had torn the carpet in the lounge to shreds and it had to be replaced. Nice one Fifi!
The time came when our children had children and for the first time in his life Friedel was confronted by these miniature beings with the large voices and sharp little teeth. At first we worried how he would handle them, but when he started burying their bottles, dummies and toys instead of them we knew we were safe.
Christmas was not only a time for human beings, Friedel also waited for his name to be called out by Father Christmas, and he’d jump up, lick Father Christmas’ face and run off the garden to open his gift.
In 1998 Tallulah came into our lives, a boxer puppy full of joy and amusement. She was beautiful and a definite favourite of ‘uncle’ Friedel and the rest of us.
She adored Friedel and made him feel young and sexy again. Tallulah would clean his face and ears with great gooey licks and in return he would do the same for her. They were inseparable.
In the bakkie the three of us went to the shops together, Friedel let her have the seat and he would lie on the floor of the bakkie. Waiting for me while I was in the shop she would move to the driver’s seat and he sat on the passenger seat. She would place her paws around the steering wheel as she stood up to look for me. People who passed my bakkie on the way to their cars would stand dead still in awe of this Boxer driving a Staffie around.
In January 2002 I noticed that Tallulah was not well. She had a huge lump in her tummy. Our vet told us that it was cancer and the only thing was to put our beautiful golden boxer to sleep as soon as we thought the time was right. A DEATH SENTENCE screamed a voice in my head. This was a very sad and trying time for us, my poor Carlos was also sick, suffering from pernicious anemia (we did not know this at that time) and as pale as a sheet all the time.
On the eighth of March 2002 Tallulah with the golden hair left us. In my own selfish grief I did not realize that my poor Friedel was also mourning his best friend. The greatest mistake I had made was not allowing him to see her body after she died.
He had no closure and probably thought that she had left him. I wish we could understand the only language he could speak, so that I could have told him how sorry I was.
For eight months during which time Friedel would howl when left alone we mourned her passing. Getting a new boxer puppy was not on the books yet although everyone said we should, it was still too sore. So we took Friedel to Mosselbay with us instead.
He loved every minute of our company but once again we could not leave him alone because he would howl and perform until we returned, driving his ouma and oupa crazy.
We finally decided to get a boxer puppy and found one in ‘Danville’. We named her Moragh, a savage hilarious little puppy and Friedel was appalled at her crazy behaviour. This little thing that looked so much like his Tallulah but acted in a very different way, this little thing that acted like a clown in order to get his attention, and she persisted until he played with her. He had no choice but to like her for she was totally smitten by him.
Life went on as it has always done and Moragh grew up and started to relax a little making it a lot easier for Friedel. They would occasionally play but hardly enough for a growing active puppy. She would often put most of her toys in front of him in the hope that he would play with her, but if anything Friedel was an expert at ignoring people and situations he didn’t like.
In the last couple of years of his life Friedel suffered from arthritis, and was also very deaf. Finally his sight began to leave him and Moragh had to serve as his guide dog and lead the way when he was lost. Friedel became almost totally dependent on me and I was his constant companion. At times when he did not know where I was he would let out little howls until I went to fetch him.
In the months before he died the weather was extremely hot and Friedel would look at me as if to say he couldn’t take anymore. The sore on his tummy was getting worse he could not hear or see, and he could hardly walk. We were hoping that he would simply die in his sleep, but that was not to be the case. He was simply not ready to let us go yet. Possibly he knew that life would never be the same without him in it, and how right he was!
On a very dismal and sad 6th January 2005 we took him to the vet to be put to sleep permanently. After he was injected he cried, he actually let out a little howl and whimper as though he were sad. He attempted to get up four times until the vet lay on him to force him to lie down.
He was placed into a black bag and we brought him home. Our gardener dug a hole in the duck’s enclosure right against the wall of the entertainment area.
We placed him in his grave with his head facing east; I gave him a photograph of his mom and dad to take along. We both said a little prayer and also allowed Moragh to say her goodbyes. She walked into the grave and gave a sad little whimper. I was about to walk away when I looked at my “Big Bamboo” lying there so vulnerable, so exposed. I couldn’t leave him like that without dignity so I took the spade and covered him with the first layers of ground that the gardener would finish later.
The ache I felt was so deep that I felt ill, I couldn’t cry for my dog all I felt was a dull numb ache in my whole body. There are no words to describe that sort of pain.
My best friend died on the morning of Thursday 6th January 2005. The dog that meant so much to us, who gave us such joy and devotion is no longer with us.
Friedel came into our lives on a cold day in July, we put him into the earth on a warm day in January. Now he is gone except in our hearts. He was beautiful, he was loved and loving, a brilliant, brilliant dog. Truly “the Spirit of the Great Heart.”
Time has passed, but hardly a day goes by that he is not in my thoughts; memories of him are all over this house and garden. Today I found one of the ropes that he had so long ago buried and I cried. I just want to talk to him and hold him, and have him comfort me like he used to. I have never before known a dog that was so clever, yet so full of love, and I know that there will never be another like him again.
Thank you Fifi for the memories we shared, because my heart wouldn’t ever be the same without memories of you to warm it.
In South Africa today security plays a vital part in any business or private home. This book and the volumes to follow, will guide you step by step through the essential precautionary measures to be taken in protecting your family and valuables. From employing security guards, evacuation of your site and security measures to burglar bars and alarms in your private home.
a Book compiled by me from experience gained after 10 years in the security industry as Industrial relations officer with Nosa qualifications, 1st Aid, fire protection and also S.O.B. grade A.
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