Phoenix the second from Klingbach was a very accessible companion. A faithful soul. Always there for you, playful, cuddly and helpful. A few months ago, Phoenix was still bursting with power and action. He accompanied Christian on his paths and adventures for 30,000 kilometers. Phönix always wanted to help with the carrying of luggage, while pulling the bicycle caravan from Germany to Sicily, while digging the garden ... The best friend and helper. For real! - Always faithful & loyal. As a well trained therapy dog he helped hundreds of children. He took away the fear of huge "bad black dogs" from the kids, accompanied them on walks, let them joyning his warmhearted & funny games, afterwards gently rest them (calmed them down - over all those hyper activ ones) ...and so increased the well-being of the whole family. Even some parents and many people in his environment gained a completely new, genuine & positive impression of the nature of the Dobermann. His dedication and willingness to serve knew no limits - until the end he was attentive to others.
For many dogs, he was also a good example, up to a lovely big brother.
He enjoyed life in the nature paradise (Sicily) to the fullest. ... Until a wound on the paw did not heal ...
All the remedies and methods of treatment for weeks did not help, the wound was growing, his fever increased.
So we brought him to one of the best veterinarians in the region, he took an operation, a big toe had to leave.
Afterwards the paw healed well. Soon he jumped around the country like a kangaroo and also dug again holes like a mole.
(Christian often thought perhaps his parents were no Dobermans, more like mother kangaroo, father a mole.)
The vet mentioned he never saw a aight years old huge dog in this powerful conditions.
"This good boy will live other aight years!" he said.
...A few weeks later Phoenix did not eat anything and started instead breathing heavily.
Seven days he refused all food. No dogfood, no noodles with homemade tomato sauce, no rice with sicilian sausages, no meat fresh from friendly farmers houses - not even his beloved chewing bones from cow skin. In the end Phoenix himself was only "skin and bones".
The investigation revealed lung cancer, the doctor gave him three more days. In fact, his condition deteriorated so much in the next two days that the doctor with the death syringe was already on the way the third day. But Phönix did not want to leave Christian alone. When Christian, with grief in his stomach, chewed slowly on a piece of dry bread and waited deeply for the last vet's visit, breathing bad, Phönix looked up, Christian in the eye, at the piece of bread, and again, some lively, intense eye contact. Christian understood, gave him the bread and phoenix munched it slowly, heavily swallowed, whereupon Christian gave him freshly cooked re-milk with baby's porridge and natural medicine from the bottle.
Afterwards, Phoenix slowly trotted from the garden onto lane and from there, after a glance at Christian, on the road - and step by step further to Tindari. On the way, Christian called the vet. "Not today, maybe tomorrow." He could not bring out any more word. - Phoenix gave Christian the last walk up to the sea view. Standing in the shade, he rested, swaying - lying, he could not breath good - but Phoenix was still benefiting of his well & hard trained muscles along his long journeys.
At Pane e Vino (a restaurant from friends), he had eaten four small juicy pieces of meat just before. With a delight he took this last "hangman's meal". He also ate a bone bit by bit - his teeth were still immaculate, his teeth strong, only the swallowing was difficult for him, he did not get any air at all, and almost fell. Normally he enjoyed there such a lot of fresh & best quality meat that people which went to eat there said: "I want the same like the nice dog here!"
In the end, he did not even drink by himself, but the Ricotta & rice milk mixture with baby slug he liked to swallow from the bottle and then licked his lips deliberately.
...When Christian had to leave to do an important purchase at the pharmacy, Phoenix looked sad. "I'll be back soon. Joyfully, he greeted him, though powerless, but really smiling and with a slight tail wagging. Both of them were jolly glad to meet again alive every time. (And by the way the owner of the pharmacy gave the medication for free for Phoenix - he was also in his heart.) They spent many hours sitting side by side during the last few days. Christian gave Phoenix the greetings and wishes of his friends from all over Europe, and told him about the common adventures, how nice it was to each other and how much he loved him. Phönix listened tired but at the same time attentively. Stalled Christian for a moment, Phoenix looked at him and snuggled closer.
When Christian was just with the thoughts somewhere else Phoenix came to him, took a prank, looked into Christian's eyes once more, and then lay down at his feet and stopped breathing. - He came for the last greating to say goodbye! Incredible strong dedication to the end.
Four years earlier, when the two arrived on the Adventure Hill, the garden was a wild jungle. In sweat-making handicraft, Christian with a hoe and phoenix with two paws, they released the field at the foot of their hill in two weeks. With a string trimmer it would probably have gone in two hours, but then a few centimeters small plant would surely not have survived. Even with the pickaxe, Christian had almost uprooted the plant, at the last moment he paused, snapped, and looked at the plantle nearer. "You can continue living here and beating your roots deeper." He said. Gratefully, the small stalk developed into a flowering little nut tree. He sprouted at the same time as our adventure on the sunny island began.
Beneath this walnut Phoenix is sleeping with his last chewing bone and an orange.
He peacefully sleeps beside his chewing bone and his last orange - with our oranges he always liked to play. Already early in the morning he came out of the garden, smiling merrily-to one with an orange in his mouth, then he let the "ball" down beside him and looked at you with wide eyes. "Throw or kick it!" He said, and then afterwards he sought the "ball" with an enthusiasm between the other oranges which where falling from the tree. He knew exactly what he had chosen. - He liked to play football with them and us. It was almost impossible to get rid of him - and to win the game - he always won. And after the game, he fed his trophy. Sometimes he held them between the paws and peeled them, sometimes he ate altogether. - Our oranges are full of biologically valuable vitamins, even the shell.
In the end, he even began to budge his own grave. Under the walnut. In a few years we can eat his nuts. And thank him for everything.
On the evening of his death (6/6/14), Christian once again wandered to Tindari to the hidden foxtail trail and the view rock on the sacred beach, where he sat with Phoenix a few days before. He thought about the many beautiful moments together and the adventures, which he had always well survived thanks to his best companion. "May your soul fly free!" He whispered, an owl suddenly flew to him, and was about to sit down on his shoulder. A sign? ... May Phoenix be free, more magnificent and stronger than ever ...
...
There was a first brief reunion a week after his death. After another long night sitting beside the grave, Christian with the sunrise went into his tent but still next to Phoenix his "bed" and also slumbered immediately. In his dream, he sat still at the grave, then suddenly Phoenix joined him, stood to him and smiled his sympathetic smile. "But you have gone!" Christian thought - "I'm still with you." Phoned Phoenix. - Such dreams can be repeated. We will see what life will bring.
Most of his life Phönix could move freely without a leash, even if the lawmaker had introduced leash and muzzle compulsion for all dogs in italy (crazy) - and forbade dogs on beaches and many other places (stupid humans). - Dogs have already saved many human life in the water. - After all, Phoenix was accepted on a leash at the beach. ... But most of all we were on the lonely beach. FREE
More pics from the lonely beach as well as the nature zone around the Adventure Hill ...and also a video from the sunset in the sea.
