He Lived Fast, Died Young and Touched Many

It is with deep regret that I must interrupt this telling of my Australia tale in order to announce the passing of one Sandford Duffy, esq., 2004-2006. Sandy had a brief, but glorious life: he was forcibly retired from an illustrious racing career at the University of Exeter, Devon and lived out his middle years battling an identity crisis while living in a bird cage in East Horsley, Surrey. In his latter years, Sandford went up in the world in a brand new hamster cage appropriate to his new address of London, W8. Sandford was an explorer: indeed, it may well be the epic journey on the Piccadilly line out to claim Joe's flat in the name of the Duffys (while his guardians were off on holiday) that finished him off. That, or the pressure he felt at the prospect of eating the bag of hamster food the size of a bag of horse feed that was accidentally purchased off the internet. As his erstwhile father and racing trainer wrote on the condolence card he sent from Geneva to Sandy's guardians in London, at least Sandy died doing what he loved. Sitting in a plastic tube.


Anyone with a hamster with an eating problem who would like to take on the Everest of hamster food, please contact claire@claireduffy.co.uk. Donations to the Retired Racing Hamsters benevolent fund in the name of Sandford may be paypal-ed to the same address ;)