In Memoriam Zenna

 Monday, August 30, 2021

Today, Monday August 30, it is exactly 14 years ago that we picked up Zenna, then Zena, from the airport in Antwerp. Our little pretty girl on stilts, about 4 months old, came all the way from the Malaga area.

When we saw the first photo on the ACE SHIN website, we knew she belong edto us! She immediately stole our hearts and that feeling has only grown stronger over the years. We bet with the vet that she must be a Podenco crossbreed. With a short, docked tail.

She could be a little rascal, but so incredibly funny, lively, playful, sensitive, social, noisy, incredibly sweet, very smart, very communicative and a wonderful hug. With a wonderful Spanish temperament and happy to share, even then, with our older boxer Noë.

Where in the past she sometimes took the chance, went up the hill and you sometimes didn't see her for the entire walk because she enjoyed zigzagging through the bushes, later on she could enjoy her freedom and she actually always and everywhere ran loose.

When she was 7 we moved to a place in the middle of nature and 7 month old Greek Emrys of  came to live with us. What a wonderful paradise it was there, enjoying the forest every day and always looking for beautiful new hiking areas and swimming waters together. She was a real water rat and could swim well. She went everywhere with us, visiting all the 'grandparents', friends, family. Nice touring by car, walking and along the way something to eat together and later regularly travel with the camper. She was very happy, together with her great friend Emrys, whom she was able to mother wonderfully.

Slowly, at a certain point, the old age ailments started. Osteoarthritis in her front leg, a hernia in the lower back, she got cataracts and became a bit deaf. Fortunately we have the best and sweetest vet there is and she did very well on her medication for a long time.

She still really enjoyed our outings and always being together, there was so much vitality and will in her! We got an old bicycle trailer that we always took with us everywhere. One where she could get in and out on her own. She was able to indicate when lying down and resting was necessary, but also when she wanted to walk again. So beautiful to see! She continued to enjoy swimming, we just had to pluck her out of the reeds a little more often when she got stuck again, or lift her up again when she chose the steepest side to get out of the water.

On one of our last outings, when we sat on a terrace after walking, she vomited and fell unconscious for a while. Very nasty and scary. Unfortunately, that turned out to be the beginning of giving up more and more and getting worse. Food became less, actually only ate treats. Vomited more and more, got thinner, but kept doing her regular rounds here on the property every day, picking up mommy from work and even walking. Until it really didn't work anymore and she became very ill and very weak within a week.

With a lot of pain in our hearts we therefore had to decide to let her pass, on Monday 23 August. Nice at home, outside, quiet and enjoying the last rays of the sun. She took a piece of our hearts with her, what an emptiness she leaves behind. Our sweet Zennie, Zentje Pentje, Granny Pennie, my doll, our sweetest darling, our everything. Our beautiful girl with her whitened long snout and eyebrows. Her cute hoppy, stiff walk and ears flapping up and down. Her loud bark, which grew softer and hoarse over the years, often skipping.

She was so touching, stole many a heart along the way.

No more hearing her long nails tapping on the floor, no more swan clinging to me wherever I went and no matter how hard she ended up walking. You could call her from afar, but she would look completely the wrong way because she couldn't locate you directly because of her deafness. She heard crackling bags with goodies immediately. Also knew exactly where everything was and how to treat herself.

Or her bouncy jumps and happy burrows, way too fast for her old paws, when you came home. Singing and whooping like you'd been gone for months on end.

It hurts so much to miss her. So unreal that she's gone. We were and are sick of it. At the same time, we are extremely grateful that we have been able to enjoy each other for so long.

Now, exactly 14 years later, we can pick her up again, but at the Xuux animal crematorium in Hengelo. It's great that a place like this exists. Where we were given plenty of time to say goodbye properly and respectfully, after we kept her at our house for a few more days after she passed away.

She gets a nice place at home, on her own red velvet sofa, her permanent place what we invariably called Zenna's chair and will continue to do so. Of course we will never forget her, our little family is no longer complete.

Bye dear Zenna, we love you so indescribably 💖

With best regards,

Arjan, Yvonne and Emrys