To a lot of folks (some quite normal), sadness over a loss of an animal is incomprehensible, particularly at this time. However, we feel sure that our supporters will feel some empathy with us.
Harris (Stepaside Elvis) slipped through our fingers yesterday and went off to the bridge under anaesthetic.  Without warning, he just fell ill. Harris was four years old. It was a shock.
In a way, he represents so many of our dogs, just an anonymous big black dog who had come under our wing and was just waiting for someone to notice him. A look at his pedigree and career this morning revealed that he is just as much part of a family as the rest of us can claim.
His uncle and auntie are Haribo and Beattie. Familiar names in his family tree spark memories of other relatives from the past, Tia knows his family well. He was bred in England, raced exclusively at Sheffield winning 10 of them and arrived at the kennels six weeks ago straight from his trainer. While we feel sad that he never got to know what a sofa feels like, we know he enjoyed himself here and will be missed. Thanks, Donaldsons as always, for opening the door.
We don’t even have a photograph of him.