On a secluded beach on the Gold Coast as the sun dipped behind the horizon, Margot and her family said a peaceful goodbye to Papa Basil; a 15-year-old Wirehaired Miniature Dachshund who was a deeply beloved member of the family.
“Papa Basil (Bazzy) was such a character,” said Margot. “An affectionate little man, who loved nothing more than being in your arms and close to you. I still remember the first day I got him. I already had Bazzy’s sister, Bubbles Devere (Bubbles), a Miniature Smooth Haired Dachshund, and I wanted her to have a sibling. When I saw Bazzy it was love at first sight. It was the start of the best 15 years together and a love I have never experienced before.”
It’s not an uncommon thing for people to refer to their pets as ‘their baby’. But in the case of Margot and Papa Basil, this was a very accurate description.
“I remember when he was a puppy and came home from Doggy Daycare, he was always clingy, and wanting to be picked up,” explained Margot. “I didn’t understand why he wasn’t as social as his sister Bubbles, but he never played with the other dogs. Instead, he was carried around like a baby all day, by me and the Doggy Daycare team! And his whole life he was like that. He loved nothing more than being beside me or in my arms, right up until the day he left us.”
"Dr Carrie provided us with fact sheets and paperwork that made the decision a lot easier and also helped us all with clarification."
Over the 15 years Margot had Papa Basil there were periods of separation. Margot moved to London for work and Papa Basil and Bubbles moved in with Margot’s parents in Northern NSW. When returning to Melbourne post covid lockdowns Margot recognised the benefit in having her dogs continue to stay with her parents.
“By staying with mum and dad Bazzy and Bubbles always had someone home with them,” Margot said.
“They were also getting older, and the weather was better in Northern NSW. But I Facetimed them every single day. Bazzy always knew when I called and would rush to the phone when it rang. I never missed a day speaking to him.”
Unfortunately, in the later years of Papa Basil’s life, he was diagnosed with cancer. Despite initially responding very well to chemotherapy, a large tumour started to grow on his side in early 2023 which would devastatingly prove to be aggressive and incurable.
Once the tumour was discovered, it was decided that it would be removed by the wonderful team at the Veterinary Specialist Services (VSS) located in the Gold Coast. Despite the very positive experience and the surgery being considered a huge success, the tumour grew back within weeks. Margot and her parents decided to try again and were once again ecstatic with the clinic and Dr James who performed the surgery; but again, it unbelievably grew back. This time even quicker.
With Dr James advising that Papa Basil was now a palliative care patient and there was nothing curable that could be done, coupled with a personality change, and obvious discomfort and pain in Papa Basil; Margot knew it was time to say goodbye and began to plan for the perfect goodbye.
"We were able to voice our many questions and concerns and Dr Carrie was great. We felt so safe and reassured in our decision."
“When I had made the decision, I called Sunset Vets, who were amazing,” said Margot.
“Dr Carrie came to the house for an initial meeting, and I Facetimed in from Melbourne so I could be a part of it. When Dr Carrie arrived, she got down on the floor to Bazzy’s level and made him feel so comfortable and loved whilst assessing the situation. We were able to voice our many questions and concerns and Dr Carrie was great. We felt so safe and reassured in our decision.
“There was never a moment when we felt pressured. In fact, Dr Carrie provided us with fact sheets and paperwork that made the decision a lot easier and also helped us all with clarification. We were confident that this decision was the right one.”
Margot took time off work and flew up to spend quality, intentional time with Papa Basil during his final days. In amongst treats, cuddles and so much love, Margot found the perfect spot to say goodbye. A location that they could go back to and remember him as frequently as they needed to.
“The night before we said goodbye to Bazzy, we all wrote goodbye notes to him and I stitched them onto a Muslin wrap that he would be wrapped in,” said Margot. “I wanted a little piece of us to be with him when he left this earth.
“Our experience with Sunset Vets was seamless, and they were so accommodating to everything we needed to make the day meaningful to us. Green was Bazzy’s favourite colour, and we hung green ribbons on the entrance to the beach. We took down a special rug, his toy box, a posy of flowers and sat on this beautiful beach (one of Bazzy’s favourite spots), waiting for sunset.
“Dr Carrie was amazing through this process. It was all done on our time, and it was really peaceful. The safe space she provided allowed me to stay strong for my little man when he passed.”
"Having to say goodbye in a clinic with other people and noise around wouldn’t have been easy for me. I feel very thankful that we had the choice and option to say goodbye how and where we did"
Through Sunset Vets, it was arranged that Pet Angels (a crematorium partner) would meet Margot and Papa Basil at the beach. In her own time, Margot was able to lay Papa Basil in a basket, cover him in his green blanket, and say goodbye knowing he was in safe hands with Pet Angels. It was a service that Margot said she was ‘forever grateful for’.
When asked if saying goodbye on her own terms and at such a meaningful spot made a difference to her grieving process, Margot said, “It definitely made a difference in the strength I had on the day and the strength I needed for him.”
But saying goodbye to your baby isn’t easy and Margot and her parents still feel grief for his passing.
“Despite the sadness, I was so thankful we used Dr Carrie and Sunset Vets. Having to say goodbye in a clinic with other people and noise around wouldn’t have been easy for me. I feel very thankful that we had the choice and option to say goodbye how and where we did, as it helped me honour who Papa Basil was to me, and it made a sad time special and one that I can remember as being safe, peaceful and beautiful.”
Margot says that she still misses Papa Basil terribly but for families experiencing something similar, her advice would be to remember that it needs to be about the pet and their quality of life.
“Make sure the time you spend together and the time you say goodbye is special and meaningful,” said Margot. “That makes a world of difference.”
We thank Margot for generously sharing her story and her beautiful photos.
If you would like to share your pets story, please contact Sunset Vets.
For information on Sunset Vets In-Home Euthanasia services CLICK HERE
