That was a good walk. Beethoven is snoring loudly. Blog from 2020.

 

Today as I go through this blog it is 24th May 2025. The second bank holiday of this May. This day is my third morning without Beethoven. At 6 years old he was put to sleep as he completely collapsed early hours of 21st May. He had been limping on his front paw for about 2 weeks and I took him to the vets in Otley in the pet ambulance on Monday 19th as an emergency as he could not get up off the decking after his morning constitutional. By the time the ambulance arrived , so had my food delivery from supermarket. Beethoven rallied and greeted the carrier bags with glee. Food! treats! stuff in crunchy carriers! He was still limping , by now on what looked like three paws.  The owner of the Yorkshire pet ambulance escorted both of us to the vets at Otley. Beethoven in the dog cage , me in the front . Beethoven could see where we were going and I could turn and talk to him as we headed off his and my favourite way to Otley down the chevin and past the Lama farm. We parked straight outside the vet front entrance and unloaded Beethoven from the back of the ambulance. He sat down at first and refused to come down the plank to the ground. People passing stopped to look. Some commented on Beethoven's beauty others said "you don't see many of them!" He came out of the ambulance still limping but enthusiastic. I took him in to the waiting room. I had called ahead to let them know Beethoven was coming in an ambulance as an emergency. 

In the consulting room the vet examined Beethoven, checked heart etc and then tried manipulating legs. The conclusion was that it was likely arthritis in back hip and front shoulder. I said it appears to be his front paw that is the worst. The vet found no reason that he would limp on the front and gave me some anti inflammatory meds which he was to take for 10 days. Simply if they worked it was arthritis. If no improvement it was time for Xrays and further tests. I came out of the vets and the pet ambulance was waiting in the car park opposite. Beethoven and I were taken home the beautiful long way all around the Chevin, the roads we loved and views we treasured. Once home I gave Beethoven a double dose of the meds as instructed and He followed me around whilst I watered the garden and chased around for treats from neighbours. At food time he ate his meal with gusto and the limping was much better.

The next day, early I gave him his next dose of meds disguised on ham. He downed the lot, in seconds. I went on to give Lee his medication and write all and times in the diary. Lee had an appointment At Chapel Allerton hospital for 12 noon. We left Beethoven after an early lunch and caught a taxi to hospital. We returned 3 hours later to an excited Beethoven who was waiting behind the door as I unlocked . Dinner- both ours and his own consumed. We settled for the night and watched telly. Beethoven stretched out on the rug. I thought and hoped it was arthritis at this point and that the autinflammatory would work. I was even planning to get prescriptions from the vets so that I could buy a supply over the internet much cheaper than from the vets. How wrong I was.

The next day Neither Lee or Beethoven were too great. I could see Beethoven's limp was bad and he sat on the decking every time I took him out and refused to get up or come back to the house. Lee was especially  bad with pain and one arm swelled up with a red rash. It was clear that neither's medication was working right. By bed time Beethoven lay on the floor and would not get up. I moved the sofa bed further back and put it out for Lee to sleep on. I gave him his four hourly pain killer and settled him for sleep. Lee was okay until 1am, so i lay down on the floor next to the sofa bed and Beethoven. Beethoven began to cry. I put my hand on him and stroked his  soft head and ears. this soothed him a lot and he was still for another hour until he struggled up to drink water. He flopped down again by the side if the bed and never moved again. His legs completely useless. He was panting in distress and pain. I lay next to him There was nothing else I could do for him. By early hours I called the pet ambulance and asked the owner to put him to sleep please. He was not going to get any better. He called a vet on the way and arrived with in an hour. They put Beethoven to sleep and took him away on a stretcher. He died where he collapsed on the floor next to me.

The next part is from my blog " Living the dream with Beethoven in no particular order." Which I wrote for myself and fun of taking photos.

Today . 

"Time portals come and go. " stated Lee "they are not always in the same place...So I really do not know if there was or if there is any here."

" I have listened to so much alien crap over the last few weeks I would believe anything. GIVE ME MY little LIFE back. I want to go on days out to ruins and junk shops. Them's my portals." I stated as we arrived at the Chevin.

 We stepped out of the car. We were the first up to surprise view this day and Beethoven wasted no time getting his lead put on he was gone up to the top without us.

 The plan was to find a way down to Hell's teeth from the top paths on the Chevin. This would be without me falling over. That is the main reason we never went down the paths before....The thought that I would not be able to get back to the car.....then I thought what the hell...how hard can it be?

 About 5.30 this day...may be a bit later as we had spent time driving to get here....we set off along surprise view. as ever I was surprised yet again.

 Beethoven ran along the top, stopped in front of the cow field and gave them a glare. He was thinking about barking at them.....I told him "no! go for a run yer daft animal..." and so he duly did.

 Lee lit up a cigarette and we all marvelled at the surprise of a view. Beethoven slightly less so as he had "peemails" to send for other dogs to sniff out his messages on the way to Hell's teeth again.

 " This is the type of place a time portal would be if I believed in such crap..." I said as I scudded along.

 " Can we go to them rocks over yonder later?" I asked.....

" It is further than yer think and probably pushing it....We are not supposed to drive too far for exercise AND no I don't think a time portal will transport us today..... yet...."

 So down the ancient path we went ....

 down further to the steeper path....

 Which turned out to be okay...provided that I looked out for loose gravel. This acts as marbles under foot and I get to roller to the bottom on my arse. This I hoped to avoid. Beethoven had already jumped on my left foot in the excitement of going through the garden to the car. This is the same left foot that Lee dropped an engine hoist onto about two months ago.
"it ain't  broke, Yer would have screamed." stated Lee at the time.

 The foot still has one swollen toe and at the time it went black. Beethoven jumping on it reminded me that it still hurts.....so on down I went and discovered my knee on the right side was pulling and crunching....Though I did manage not to fall and I did get to the bottom without any further old age tweeks on my body.

 It is only the top bit of the down path that is steep...it flattens out towards the end.....and it is a real quick way to Hell's teeth. we were there in minutes from parking!

 Who needs time portals anyway...we were obviously in another world completely. The light was entirely different in the trees and past the ancient rocks.

These rocks were possibly put here to stop cows from falling over the edge of the Chevin.......We are also here just above the Caley rocks and the area which was once owned by the Fawkes family who fenced the whole area back in the day....and had a deer park here. Caley Hall is now long gone and reading the history of the deer park, Zebra also roamed free. So I guess this wall also stopped the Zebra from falling over the edge of Caley rocks as well.

 
 To day the largest animal on the Chevin is my St. Bernard.....Who by the way has got much bigger since we got him in July last year! He is now two years old. St. Bernard's keep on getting bigger until they are three.

 So. No Zebra today. No time portals either. I think it is time to turn off the conspiracy stuff on telly. Lee sits and watches it all morning....there is only so much about Alien crop circles, Rosewell new Mexico and messages in binary a girl can take...I am looking for messages and time portals every where !!!!!!!

 We walked the whole way along the path where Hell's teeth rocks are lined up and came to this little "sign in the woods"........

"Remind me.....the book on Andrew Goldsworthy I have,,,,all about his sculptures that look like they just happened by accident.....you know...is it a sculpture of was it always there?....." I told Lee

 We kept on and on until we came to the quarry area......

 popped out into a completely different wooded area...past the rocks and caves and quarry.....

 Then back around to the top of the Chevin again.....

 Easy!

 Light at the end of the woods.....

 and a totally different world on the top of the Chevin....we had been gone about an hour and the light had completely changed.

 The pale light of dawn as we came back around to the rocks and the car park.

 " eee...we can get us a cuppa tea now.....home fer me breckers." said Lee

 This day Beethoven made no fuss about going back to the car.....that was a good walk was that.

Ours was still the only car in that park too.

The next day I had to go out early. By early I mean before the early dog walk. So really ridiculously early I had to be up just so as I could be early and on time.
When I came down stairs Beethoven's little face was a picture of total disappointment that we were not going on this walk again. Very expressive are St. Bernard's. I am home now....early start , early finish....I was back just in time to give Beethoven his chicken dinner and get myself jumped upon to see if I had bought him any little treats. I was home in time to start cooking our dinner and water the garden. Lee still has no teeth. Where I expect him to get any from in this lock down and all the dentist's are closed ! so I don't know why I mentioned it really...except that I am cooking mince meat and onions and Lee specifically asked for gravy.( a type of mush that he can eat with out the need of chewing) I haven't got any....and I am not going back to the supermarket.
So.....I am going to use an Italian sauce and make pasta. You don't think he will notice? well he is a Yorkshire bloke and they do not like "fancy food"....no way am I going to the supermarket so tough. I just did an 8 hours shift. Pasta it is.
Last night I had a play around with some of the photos I took yesterday.....That is actually why I came on here.....