1998 – 1999
It occurred to me early on how extraordinary Jemima was but as 1998 turned into 1999 I began to notice nuances in her behaviour that made me realise how special she was. Of course every pet owner proclaims their animal is one in a million, and they are right, but Jemima had various innate qualities that only began to emerge as she got older. I noticed one day that she was ever so slightly lame in her front paws and would refrain from placing them down on sharp or rough ground. I initially had only considered that this was just avoidance of pointy things being poked into her toes but when I noticed that she would avoid areas of newly cut coarse grass it felt as if something wasn’t quite right. On closer examination I could see small red spots in the soft skin under her paws. I of course took her to the Vet, with the usual meet and greet and sniff test of everyone and everything on display, and they surmised that she could be allergic to something that she had either come into contact with recently or was in contact with regularly. They also thought that she perhaps had a grass seed stuck in her skin. My synopsis was that she had put her feet into some kind of chemical – although quite where and how I had no idea. She was given cream to help the spots and some anti itch shampoo with which I was to bathe her feet once per day. This led to many baths which Jemima did not agree with in the slightest. She had always sat next to the bath when I was in it and washed my arm or leg if I draped it over the side but now it was her turn she wasn’t best pleased. Still I enjoyed it and would tell her about my day and chat about any subject that took my fancy. She would of course talk back with the usual ‘ayummayummyuum yum’ noise but I imagine she was informing me of her displeasure rather than offering pleasantries.
A major realisation with how she was feeling with her paws was made when I caught her unawares. She was asleep but I didn’t realise and I wandered over asking how her paws were and took hold of them to take a look. I didn’t grab them particularly hard or twist them or anything but she awoke with a start and a yelp. She pulled her paws away and started licking them. I realised that she was actually living with a certain level of discomfort in her paws but just didn’t complain. Unbeknown to me at the time this would be a regular personality trait in the years to come and one which made me very protective of her. I never understood why she would seemingly ignore any pain and discomfort and show no outward sign of it at all. In fact she would simply be happy regardless of discomfort. I admired this, it gave me strength, and inspired me to try to be the same.
There were many Vet bills in respect of the issue with her paws. So much so that for a period there were some financial issues and I had to use credit cards to juggle money until payday on a few occasions. I cared not for the money anymore though. It was important in that it enabled certain things but it didn’t control my life in the way it had before.
Over the first half of 1999 Jemimas paws seemed to get worse. The suggestion from the Vet was that she was allergic to something and it was a matter of trying to find out what it was. It got so bad that I would have to rest her after a long walk as any spots in her paws would become inflamed and needed time to settle down again.
The other big thing in 1999 was also the wedding. Arrangements were being made and preparations were well underway.
