As First Dog, Attila was often at the side of the Thuringian Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow.Bild: imago stock&people / photo2000
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Dogs are considered man’s best friend. The corresponding owners are correspondingly sad when their four-legged darling dies after thirteen, fourteen or fifteen years. They often leave a gap in the family structure – or an empty apartment if the person belonging to it lives alone.
Nobody can free themselves from this sadness. Not even politicians. Thuringia’s Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) has even written an emotional ode to his deceased dog Attila.
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“When you come into the room and see the empty basket in which our Attila used to lie curled up like a cat, it hurts my heart,” writes Ramelow on his website. The dog was 15 years old. The Ramelow family noticed very well that Attila – or as Ramelow calls him: “Furry Nose” – was getting older. Climbing stairs has become more difficult, walks have become shorter, writes the Prime Minister.
Aging, Ramelow clarifies, is part of life. He is no different than his deceased dog. But be clear: Illness and pain are not nice side effects of the aging process. Ramelow writes:
“If breathing becomes difficult and the pain floods through the body, then you have to clarify with the veterinarian what else you can do for your animal.”
Thuringia: First Dog with star airs
In the end he had to make a decision. And now the prime minister wants to thank his furry nose “for so many happy hours and great adventures.” Life as Thuringia’s First Dog has meanwhile gone to Attila’s head – since the dog probably thought all the cameras were pointing at him, he would have crashed filming for the Kika series “Schloss Einstein”, for example.
In his “Ode to Attila”, Ramelow vividly describes how popular the little dog was in the Thuringian state parliament: be it with the SPD politician Birgit Pelke (“a great friendship”) or with the Greens on the ground floor of the building (“Atttttiiiiiiiiie”) and ball games. The deputies of the FDP at the “fur nose”.
In an “ode” the prime minister honors his deceased dog Attila.Bild: pexels / edgar daniel hernàdez
Ramelow writes:
“The FDP was bitten hard and the Greens kept busy. In moments like this, other things had to wait. Only the organic treats you consistently rejected (rightly so, far too dry).”
The visit of the Spanish ambassador and his family was also unforgettable: Attila, Ramelow writes, “disguised himself” in the bushes in Weimar shortly before the meeting. Thinks he rolled in a carcass. “What a stench! The visit to the ‘Resi’ café was canceled and we went to the beer garden instead,” explains Ramelow.
With Attila, Ramelow makes it clear that it never got boring. And now, after 15 years together, it’s time to say goodbye. “Take care and enjoy the big sky of the fur noses.”
