FanStory.com - Pawprintby zanya

We called him Nox. HIs cavalier coat was inky black and his eyes shone like diamonds.

Despite having a few narrow escapes, Nox made it to his teens. His narrowest of narrow escapes happened as a puppy, when, one snowy Saturday morning, my son, Sam, was putting his cello into the car for his music lesson. Nox ran into the road and there was a screech of brakes. We held our breath. Within seconds Nox appeared at our feet, trembling. The Fates were kind on that wintry day.

Nox revelled in weekend family jaunts to the courntryside, where he chased rabbits among the cornfields and had canine capers with sheepdogs, twice his size.

A few short weeks ago, Nox's boundless energy flagged. Our family vet took readings and discussed medical options, while my daughter Zoe made him comfortable in his favourite white and blue blanket.

Relaxing to the rhythm of familiar voices, Nox quietly turned his inky head and those beautiful cavalier, curly ears to one side and drew his last breath. Audible gasps filled the ensuing silence.

Tears flowed in the vet's surgery on that sultry summer afternoon.

Nox had quietly taken his leave. We remembered to smile a smile of gratitude for all the joy he had brought.

He left his pawprint on our hearts.