Readers of both this blog and my books will be familiar with our dog of 13 years and beloved family member, Meli.

Meli | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books

Sadly, Meli has now passed away.ย On Wednesday we woke up at 2.30 in the morning by what we thought was the wee one whinging. As she is at an age when she still wakes up for milk, this didn’t worry us. However, it turned out that the sounds were made by Meli, who was having a seizure. We rushed her to the vet’s, who stabilized her and put her in a drug-induced sleep. He kept her under observation during the night while running a barrage of tests. The last test, which he ran in the early morning, was a CAT scan. It showed that Meli had an inoperable brain tumor.ย Early in the morning, she passed away.

Considering how hours before she was happily going on her walkies, marking her territory from any stray dogs or foxes, we are consoled by the fact that she didn’t suffer and that we were with her in her final hours. Instead of dwelling on her death, we prefer to celebrate her life with us, so here are some photos of our happier times together.

Meli is survived by two cats who are already claiming her favorite spot on the sofa. I only wish it were as easy to fill the empty spot she has left in our hearts.