As we pulled to a stop outside what was about to become our new home our teenager leapt from the back seat and declared “Hello Noosa I have arrived”! Well Thelma Louise was not your average teenager, she was not even your average Pomeranian! Precocious, cheeky and never at a loss for words, she was in reality a feisty German Spitz, but in true Basil Fawlty style we didn’t like to mention the war!
Thelma Louise had come into our lives thirteen years earlier on a wet a wild Easter break. The kids were up in Daylesford for the holidays, and in preparation I had raided the library for books on dogs. It was time for a new family member. The local paper revealed that the only dogs available were Pomeranian x puppies. The kids and I eagerly opened the book to the relevant page. There was a picture of an electrified fluff ball.. I cracked up and declared “one of those would make me laugh every day”! I could not have been more right!
It was not always smooth sailing with TL. As a rebellious youngster she referred to my gorgeous retro bush shack as a toilet and proceeded to use it as such. For a little while we lived independently with me inside and her the Queen of her hill top domain outside.
Oh the adventures we had! Weekends were spent either partying in St Kilda, where Thelma with her strut and flair was always a hit with the working girls. On alternate weekends we were off to Apollo Bay to visit the family.....in a style true to her name she loved a road trip and would be smiling out the window and her tail would wag with excitement as we hit the bay.
At terrible twos we added David to our family. Initially Thelma was very hesitant about the idea of adding another human into our family mix. He was greeted with a yapping fur ball as she showed her displeasure, but displeasure soon turned to love and she realised his stabilising influence soon led to regular feed times as her father moved on from a diet of baked beans and condiments.
When TL was about seven she declared that enough was enough, although a robust country girl, the cold winter winds were freezing her to her little spitz core. It was time to head north!
After a brief four year stint in Northern NSW, where once again we renovated a home from drab to fab, we came to the conclusion that it was not our place. Every visit to Noosa only made that clearer. Thelma Louise was the first to hop in the car as we made that final house buying trip north to Noosa. We had arrived and she raced with joy around her new expanse of lush green lawn, big verandahs and space. Once again we were back on acreage in Peregian Beach
We had all found our place. With the final additional of Errol our almost vintage VW convertible we explored our new found home. Morning coffees at Hand of Fatima and a quick dip in the ocean for Thelma and myself. Dave generally looked after the towels. Or maybe we fancied breakfast at Bistro C where Thelma Louise strutted her stuff on the boardwalk. My son had once commented that Thelma had the pranciest walk of any dog he’d ever known! Boy could that girl work a boardwalk!
At fifteen years of age our grand little girl had lived a huge life but it had taken its toll. On her last day in our lives we headed to the beach in Errol. At last she got her wish and David was relegated to the back seat. I turned to David and said I bet the perfect song comes on and true to form we headed off singing along with Robbie Williams as we belted out “I did it my way”
We stopped in the village on the way as Thelma Louise suggested we grab ourselves a bottle of scotch as we’d need it later. How well she knew us. We carried her to the beach in her favourite bed and sat and gazed and sniffed that beautiful salt laden air as we reminisced on a lifetime of shared adventures.
Holding her in our arms later that day as she looked into our eyes for that final goodbye was was one of the hardest things I’ve done. But a girl that had lived a life so full of love, adventure and stories deserved an elegant end and so it was. A huge part of our lives had gone but her stories will live on in our hearts.
Farewell Thelma Louise.. you were a my muse, my amuse and our love. You gave us joy, laughter and a whole lot of love. It was a journey I will never forget ❤️🐕
Beach Bliss with Thelma Louise ❤️