MERLIN

I was privileged and lucky enough to live for 13 years with an English Pointer, he was called Merlin. He had great dignity and in my eyes was particularly handsome. He had two godfathers, one to teach him about  country pursuits who took him grouse shooting in Scotland and the other a classical dancer taught him to swim in the Serpentine.

Born in 1984, we first met in Ladbroke Square, Notting Hill Gate. He became an integral part of my life for the next 13 years. Dogs have a way of becoming part of you, their love is unconditional, they are dependent on you in a way that reinforces the bond between human and animal. Grown men who have never been known to cry weep unashamedly  at the loss of a loved dog, my father was no exception.

Merlin at Castle Howard

Merlin and other dogs at The Decorative Antiques Fair

Merlin, "one who loved us and whom we loved"

One of the most touching things I ever read is by the American writer Eugene O'Neill. This is a moving essay about the thoughts of  what must have been a very greatly loved dog written in 1940

The Last Will and Testament of Silverdene Emblem O'Neill.