Defa the Springer Spaniel, my pet, my soulmate, my life

by Mandie Dunning
(Dereham, Norfolk)

We had Defa from about 8 weeks old, he was born on 14th November 1997. He was our first dog as a married couple.

He was my pet and my husbands gun dog. I was working from home for a big part of his life so he used to follow me everywhere.

He had such a fun loving, crazy and lovable nature. As a Springer Spaniel he was obviously mad and had his fair share of accidents throughout his life (he really should have been a cat) he must have had at least 9 lives.

He jumped out of my brothers bedroom window and tore shoulder ligaments. He ran of a cliff on the Norfolk coast and fell 100ft, escaping with a broken wrist, a gash in his back leg and a traumatized liver that did go back to normal. He was out shooting one day and collapsed and started fitting, the vet didn't hold out much hope for him, thinking he had swallowed something poisoned him. The pumped his stomach out and sent him home for us to look after him in his final hours, but luckily he pulled through. He has been ran over by a 4x4 but again, luckily he went under the car and bumped his head on the sump, the car wasn't going very fast.

Everybody around the village knew of Defa and his stunts. He developed a heart condition in his last year and was in Chronic Heart Failure but he still loved to go shooting but got very tired out. If this had been his demise it would have been easier to come to terms with his death but it wasn't. He was on some land near where they shoot while my husband was putting a steal building up for someone, a guy was reversing a digger and unrolling with the bucket, a roll of roofing felt. Unfortunately Defa ran between the digger and felt and was crushed and died instantly. He was nearly 12 and had had such a wonderful life and brought joy to many.

He will and still is sorely missed.

Love you Defa, will never forget you.