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GIZMO COHEN

October 2002 – June 29 2012

Greatly missed by Taryn, Jason & Riley

Gizmo first came into our lives on April 10th 2003. My mum and Jason had decided it would be a good idea to get me a dog from Hong Kong Dog Rescue for my birthday and so they made a visit down to the kennels in Pok Fu Lam and stumbled upon little Gizmo (he was named Elmo at the time). Poor little Gizmo had been abandoned by his previous owners and was discovered under a Pok Fu Lam bridge. I like to think that he was on the street for some time, giving him a bit of “street cred” and turning him into the spunky little guy he became, but Jason is convinced he was only there for maybe 24 hours before being whisked away to the luxuries of a comfy bed and airconditioning!

From the moment he entered our world, things were to never be the same. He was a naughty little thing in the early days, running uncontrolably throughout our flat and trying to eat everything that came into his path – that included a nylon sock, some hair pins and even a half eaten roll of film, all of which came to light when we took him to have his stomach pumped!

Over the years we quickly started to realise that our beloved “street” dog was prone to some serious allergies when given various foods. As a result, the vet advised that it would be best for him to be put on a strictly dog food-only, hypoallergenic, vegetarian diet. In short, what this meant was that Gizmo would be forced to eat the same crap (dry dog food) every single day. Well our good friend Anj’s mum couldn’t stand the thought of this and one day, when Gizmo was staying with them while we were traveling, snuck him some apple. Gizmo’s food world was changed forever. You couldn’t even spell the word – A-P-P-L-E – without Gizmo going absolutely nuts! He just loved his “apps”.

There are endless wonderful stories I could recount about Gizmo (his love of looking for his presents in my suitcase, his love of Auntie Anj massages, his crazy fast running around when he got excited, being “Mr Friendly” and yearning for everyone to just stop and say hello, his love of “bedtime” and getting to curl up next to me), but they would literally fill pages and pages. What I would just like everyone to know about Gizmo is how much joy he brought me and my family, and everyone he crossed paths with. He managed to get friends who were terrified of dogs to love him, he inspired others to rescue dogs – in short, he was one in a million and things will never be the same without him. I’m so sorry our daughter Riley will not be able to grow up with such a sweet, gentle, giving companion who never ceased to show unconditional love – even right up until the end.

Some say that Gizmo knew his time on this Earth was coming to an end and by not wanting to leave Riley’s room, was trying to tell us that everything was going to be ok and that we now had Riley to focus on. While I truly appreciate his selfless actions, despite the physical pain he was in during his last week, I want him to know that no matter what, he will always be part of our family and no matter what, we will never forget him. I seek comfort in the fact that he is still with us in everything that we do and that one day, when the time is right, I will see him again.

Rest well Gizzy, you are such a special guy and I know you are bringing so much joy to everyone you come across up there.

I love you,

Mummy xxx