Just wanted to thank everyone for their lovely comments on this report.
I'd also like to again echo the praises and express my gratitude to Andy, Dave and Ross for their selfless actions and support.
I decided to leave writing the report for a while, mainly because at the time there was still too much emotion wrapped up in the story for me to construct a coherent account of the whole ordeal. After a couple of months when things had returned to normal, I did actually consider leaving it unwritten.
With the arrival of the puppies, some emotions came back to mind and I thought it would be an ideal time to get the report done, now it had an even happier ending than before.
Black Panther, when we found out Bracken was expecting, I had hoped to keep a puppy. That was when we thought there would be four or more. Since there is only two, it makes choosing quite difficult and feels rather unfair to select one for staying and one for re-homing. Still not sure if keeping one is practical, so they both may well be offered for sale in the coming weeks. Shona and I both agree that we'd like them to go to hill-walking homes where they would get to experience the joys of the mountains, just like mum and dad.