Ciao Benson!!

You had a good run buddy.

Lou sourced you when she couldn’t get pregnant with Noah, you filled a solid childless void in our home for several years. You kept Lou company when she was debilitated by migraines.

Lou always said you knew she was getting sick, that you could sense the seriousness of it all. There is much warmth in this.

You did slip down the priority list as the kids entered the universe and Lou moved on, but there are some unwavering Benson fans to whom you brought joy, love, and companionship that they’ll cherish forever.

Aunty Boo, Dad, Georgie, Fran, Oscar, and Nina always gave you an extra dose of love that put a spring in each loud dragging bear-sized hoof of yours.

Thanks to Mum and Dad, who welcomed you to stink up their house a couple of months a year. Thanks to Astrid who facilitated the process to ease you into Lou’s world. I do hope a place post-life exists and that mammals don’t fart in the afterlife.

With that poker face and no tail, it was hard to tell if you were happy or sad but it was when you started to decline I realised you had a very happy, fulfilled and fortunate life.

You will be forever in our hearts and your aroma will be forever embedded in the furniture and home in which you caked in dirt and drool. A home you occupied for 13 years. Good effort old buddy. Every ball is safe now.

VALE Benson Byrne!