DuDi’s “Homerun” over the Rainbow Bridge to dog heaven, unfortunately far too early for the best dog of all time – at least for me – due to unfortunate circumstances.
Here to the previous part: DuDi’s diary 2015-2022
19 February 2023
Return journey from the pack trip.
Please help with any donation to supply animal protection dogs medically and with food or to find and pursue cases of animal abuse:
4 June 2023
Today we visited Sitia and Lato Episkopi, Andreas’ horse farm.
5 July 2023
Every Thursday we went shopping in Agios Nikolaos, like here at Bioaroma.
5 August 2023
I’ve always been the biggest ripper!
27 August 2023
Mum arrived again today – and I get a big cuddle from a complete stranger at the airport!
10 September 2023
On this day we visited Katja’s dog shelter with mum and then went to Heraklion for dinner.
15 September 2023
Here we are eating pizza in Agios Nikolaos.
23 September 2023
Nobody would have guessed that today was my last farewell to mum.
26 September 2023
Again for pizza in Agios Nikolaos, this time with my master’s friends from Switzerland.
10 October 2023
This day turned into a major disaster: We lost my best friend Shadow on the Kalydon peninsula and searched for her late into the night without finding her again.
11 October 2023
The next day we also looked for Shadow from early in the morning and walked the whole way again in the heat without finding a trace.
12 October 2023
The previous evening we were on Kalydon again and left food and water at our resting place, not far from where we last heard Shadow barking. This morning I smelled a scent there, but was it really Shadow?
15 October 2023
We are still looking for Shadow every day on Kalydon. Here we are taking a break and eating something at Porto Rino in Elounda.
21 October 2023
My owner has now installed a wildlife camera at Shadow’s feeding station. As you can see from my photo, it works well—unfortunately, however, we only found martens and a large cat in the photos. We tried and searched for three more days without finding any sign of Shadow. After two weeks, we unfortunately had to give up, and to this day there is still no trace of her.
15 November 2023
On this day, we return to the Kalydon Peninsula with a new drone. Unfortunately, the drone also fails to find any trace of Shadow, and we are all exhausted.
On this day, we return to the Kalydon Peninsula with a new drone. Unfortunately, the drone also fails to find any trace of Shadow, and we are all exhausted.
17 November 2023
My owner’s mom sent a package with tubes of dog food. We’re all really excited about that!
20 November 2023
It’s getting colder, and Ali keeps me warm on the big new flokati rug.
19 December 2023
Christmas shopping trip to Heraklion with my master – of course, I get something from McDonald’s too!
9 January 2024
Unfortunately, there is now only a photo of three of us in the pack: Once again, we are waiting for our owner while he does the shopping.
17 January 2024
The weather is wonderful today, and we are all heading back up to Naxos to fly the new drone.
21 January 2024
We met a great traveler on our walk today.
13 February 2024
Today we drove back to Heraklion and I went to a store for the first time where they sell loud ‘firecrackers’.
24 February 2024
Today we took a great photo – almost a carbon copy of the one Chelsea took eighteen years ago at the same spot on Kalydon!
31 March 2024
Trip to Krasi to fly drones in the Azilakon Forest. Unfortunately, the car broke down at the end point, so we had to walk back many kilometers until a friend came to tow us with his pickup truck. Then we didn’t have a car for trips for eight weeks!
27 April 2024
Waiting for breakfast – great that the freshly cleaned carpets are on the lounger!
29 May 2024
We finally have our car back – and are going on a trip to Heraklion, including a visit to McDonald’s!
30 May 2024
I always looked forward to visiting Marianti’s Grooming & Pet Shop in Agios Nikolaos!
12 June 2024
Another nice new acquaintance on Malia beach.
23 June 2024
Once again, I have to wait for pizza during the soccer game at the European Championship!
17 July 2024
What intense heat during the walk near Malia Palace—or is it because I am not feeling well?
21 July 2024
During my visit to Elounda, where I’m always so happy to sniff and romp around on the grass of my youth, I wait here with Marley for the pizza again.
4 August 2024
After a tour via the Fino Shelter across the Agios Ioannis peninsula, we walked from Vrouhas to the hill above Spinalonga. Finally, we were back in Elounda.
25 August 2024
Running free with Ali at the wind turbines near Vrouhas.
30 August 2024
Today we went to the vet because I’m not feeling so well and I don’t want to eat any more dry food and the prescribed tablets and I’m also vomiting water. Afterwards we went for a walk in the mountains to the place where I will soon be resting forever.
1 September 2024
Trip to Kalkonitha beach and chapel on the Kalydon peninsula near Elounda. It’s hot and we need lots of water.
3 September 2024
I really vomited today. Now I only get wet food and then mostly boiled chicken and we all hope that I just have a stomach problem.
8 September 2024
Thanks to the change of food and medication, I’m feeling better again and I rarely vomit water or food leftovers from my stomach. Today we went to the Milatos cave and Milatos beach.
16 September 2024
I hardly have any more problems with vomiting, but we are still taking X-rays today to rule out stomach cancer or something similar, just to be on the safe side.
18 September 2024
My new favourite meal: chicken with rice.
27 September 2024
Last week, I was still yodelling (unfortunately, my owner never made a video of it), and on Monday, I jumped onto my vet’s examination table without permission when we were there with Simba because of his stool problems. Then, on Tuesday, 24 September, I suddenly felt worse again.
Today, I didn’t even eat my chicken, so we went back to the vet, but they couldn’t determine the cause. But it doesn’t look good.
I got a shot to make me feel better, and tomorrow we’re going to see a specialist to find out what’s causing my problem.
28 September 2024
Early in the morning, we drive to Heraklion to see a specialist.
Here I am waiting for my examination. They want to use ultrasound to find out what the problem is.
Since nothing can be found, they have to pump out my stomach, which is bloated with water. It is determined that something has blocked my intestinal connection after the stomach, which is why I am vomiting water and cannot eat very well. However, this can perhaps be remedied by surgery, in which the blocked part of the intestine is cut out and bypassed.
Night of 28 to 29 September 2024
The night is terrible. I threaten to suffocate because the water I drink comes back up and almost drowns me three times. My owner shakes me so that I spit out the water again. Here I am on Sunday morning, after being given a place to sleep right next to the bed so that my owner always has me close by to help.
29 September 2024
Therefore, emergency surgery has been scheduled for today, Sunday, to remove the blocked section of intestine and then reconnect the intestine.
While we spend the day waiting, Ali tries to cheer me up and motivate me to play and go for a walk.
In the evening, we go to the vet for the surgery. I have lost quite a bit of weight in recent weeks. At first, my owner and the vet were happy that I was finally getting down to a normal weight from 14 to 15 kg, but after the water was pumped out, it was far too little.
Here, I was put under anaesthetic and am already asleep. My master kissed me beforehand and wished me good luck, saying that I mustn’t leave him alone with the two rascals.
Unfortunately, during the operation it was discovered that my pancreas was in an advanced stage of cancer, which had also blocked my intestines. This must have been going on for several months – I must have fallen ill sometime around April or May.
Since this insidious cancer only causes symptoms at a very late stage and I hardly showed any signs of it later on, there was unfortunately no other option but to let me cross the rainbow bridge to my friends Chelsea and Shadow while I was lying on the operating table under anaesthesia.
Unfortunately, we had to let DUDA (or DUDI) go on the night of Sunday, 29 September 2024, as the emergency surgery revealed that her pancreas was also severely damaged by cancer.
In addition, she had several choking fits and convulsions during the night from Saturday to Sunday, caused by water from her stomach blocking her windpipe, and she could only be saved by shaking and tapping.
Since she was surprisingly able to continue her normal life until the last few days, I wanted to spare her any suffering, and since she was already anaesthetised for the operation, she felt nothing.
Many thanks to Michalis Milathianakis and his staff at VetMedica in Heraklion for the final diagnosis and to Kalliopi Pantouli for making it possible to perform the operation quickly on Sunday evening. Unfortunately, these efforts to save DUDA’s life were thwarted by a serious cancer that had probably been present for some time and had gone unnoticed.
DuDi was able to carry out her activities without any noticeable problems until 23 September, and her last walk took place on the morning of 27 September.
DuDi was a unique dog who always listened, never ran away, liked every person and dog, and received a lot of love from most people. Unfortunately, she only lived to be 12 1/2 years old.
The next few sad days felt as if someone was following us on our walks – even the dogs noticed and kept turning around…
Dear DuDi – Greetings to Chelsea and Shadow in doggy heaven!
One of the most comforting things I heard recently was: “If I hadn’t found and rescued DuDi on the beach at Elounda back then, she wouldn’t even have had those short but wonderful 12 1/2 years” – how true!
The life of DuDi (December 2012 – September 2024)
The natural death of a dog
A wild dog or wolf senses when its life is coming to an end, either due to age or illness. It submits to the laws of nature and prepares itself for “eternal sleep”.
It stops eating and looks for a quiet, hidden place to die. This is what DuDi did in the last 72 hours: she only drank and wanted to be under trees and bushes in a quiet corner of the garden.
And the pack accepted this as the natural course of things – Ali and Simba did too. And the human pack should do the same…
