The Archers – Scruff’s Ashes
Poor Lynda Snell has been through the full gamut of emotions for a pet owner. Firstly she lost her beloved dog Scruff in the floods last year, then he miraculously returned in time for Christmas and now he has passed away…
As a long-term follower of The Archers and a fan of the wonderful Scruff I have been avidly listening to recent episodes and I must say I have to commend the BBC’s portrayal of pet bereavement. I think the portrayal of losing Scruff has been done really sensitively.
The impact of losing a dog can be so devastating and Lynda has been really hit very hard by his loss. Despite a peaceful dosing off for the final time on her ‘wonderful’ resurgam stone on the day of the village fete, Lynda is struggling to cope with the loss of her companion and has been carrying Scruff’s ashes around with her.
Lillian has been a true friend, and is helping her talk about the loss. This is such a vital part of the bereavement process which many people fail to remember when a pet has passed away. And she is helping Lynda to think about a good way of doing something memorable with the ashes.
I am so pleased that the writers are dealing with the ashes. Usually the story stops at the death and they bury the pet in the garden. Obviously burying a pet or their ashes in the garden is a perfectly good thing. I buried our childhood dog, Tommy, in our garden. Along with our hamsters, guinea pigs, budgies, rabbits and the many injured birds and mice that myself and sister administered to in our make-believe veterinary surgery*.
But there are now so many lovely ideas for doing something memorable with your pets ashes and I’m delighted that the BBC is taking this on board in such a well loved soap.
For more information about Scruff check out The Archers Blogg on The life of Scruff
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