R.i.p Riley

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Wednesday August 30 , my wife and I and our 3 dogs set out on a 2 week vacation.. we were going to catch a ferry , a 3 hour drive and a 7 hour crossing followed by another 5 hour drive , to attend a dog show and spend some time with friends and family , we rented a house on a lake and our daughter and son in law were flying in and a friend from England was flying in as well , sounds great huh?
On the way to the ferry our 13 year old yellow labrador had a sizure , we turned around and headed home , he could not walk , his back legs were done , i had to carry him into the house lay him on the couch and get a vet . I knew inside that he was in trouble , my wife who is a nurse said it was the start of his systems shutting down .. got him to the vet knowing it was not good . The vet said he was dying and at nearly 14 it was his time ....he wagged his tail till he fell asleep in our arms .....Riley came into our lives about 4 years ago a rescue dog , He was already 9 had had a hard life with little love and no socialization ...we have always had dogs in our family and soon riley had a 8 week old rottweiler pup as a house mate .. with lots of love amd inclusion in everything we do Riley BLOSSOMED .within a couple of months he had become a different dog , friendly and had overcome his agression to other dogs , we bonded in a very deep way and he went to all of the dog shows with us and all family trips , an amazing friend who became a great hosemate with 2 rotties ...I know some people will think , its only a dog , I understand that , if you've never had the great fortune to be unconditionally loved by a great dog who is appreciative of all you do for and with him ..then it cant be explained ...... we had Riley sent for cremation the next morning and headed out to catch the ferry ...needless to say the holiday was dampened ...we knew Riley was slowing dow and watched it progress all summer , we knew this might be his last summer , and i took every opportunity to hug him and give him extra time and treats , I will sorely miss our Saturday morning walks .... Anyway i just wanted to share a little of this friend with you all heres a pic of Riley ...Good Night Sweet Prince ...6S9L

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[tot_Ou_tard]

That's incredibly sad news 6S9L.

You n' Riley will definitely be on my mind today.

He was lucky to know you & your family as you were lucky to know him.

[Nelskie]

It's always very sad to lose a good friend. I'm sure if Riley could talk, he'd thank you & your family for all the love and care during his formative years. Yet, in a way - he did. When the end was near, the tail wag told you all you needed to know.

[Robert****]

So sad. It is always hard to lose someone near. A loved one will always be with you though, one way or another.

[Tone2TheBone]

I'm sorry about your loss.....

[duhvoodooman***]

Sounds like ol' Riley was a great puppy, and the two of you were lucky to have had each other for the time you did. And he's not really gone--he just lives in your head now.

[SuperSwede]

I´m sorry about your loss too...

[Tim]

6S9L,

I understand the hurt and sorrow for the loss of an extended family member. I had a similar incident happen to me many years ago. My wife’s parents own a female dash hound. She had a litter of pups and we have first pick. We selected a female puppy and we named her Heidi.

At two months old we all moved to Fort Worth Texas. Heidi slept on a large towel in the front seat between my wife and I. Whenever I was away from Heidi, she would always whine. When we arrived at our hotel for the night, I placed Heidi inside my coat (believe it or not it was 38 degrees out at that time) and went to check in at the front counter. When the assistant gave me the key to the apartment her final words where no animals allowed.

After settling the three kids into their beds, I place Heidi in her little bed and turned out the lights. Heidi started to whine. After about 45 minutes of trying to get her to sleep, I took the shirt that I wore that day and placed it under her. She slept all night without a whimper.

Moving 6 years forward. We had relocated to Dayton Ohio. Heidi made it known that she owned me. Everywhere I went, there was Heidi. My job had me on the road traveling a lot. Monday was a flight to Los Angeles and Friday had me back to Dayton. This was a normal routine for me and Heidi made it known that she did not like me leaving. She hated my suitcase. Normally when I arrived back home Heidi would always meet me at the door with that tail wagging at the speed of light. Barking and jumping until I picked her up.

On returning early one trip, I arrived at the house ahead of the family coming home from school and work. When I opened the front door, there was no Heidi. I called for her and heard a fainter whimper. As looked around the corner, there was Heidi dragging herself towards me with her back legs stretched behind her leaving a trail of blood.

After X-rays, we found out from the Vet that she had damaged three vertebrate in her lower back which punchered her bladder. She was dieing from poisoning her own body. I immediately went to get the children so they could say good-bye to the only dog they knew. After taking them back home I went back to be with my wife. After spending some precious tearful moments with Heidi, the vet came and gave Heidi the injection. Heidi looked up at us with tears in her eyes, then shut them big brown eyes forever.

I am sorry for the loss of a good friend and family member. The photograph shows that Riley was a beautiful dog.

[Spudman***]

6S9L and Tim,

It sounds like you both had great lives with your "mates." Your stories are deeply touching. I feel your loss as I look here on my friend's office wall to see photo's of his now departed pooch who became my pooch while he was around. The two of us had many wonderful experiences together like skiing trips, trips to the dump with him slobbering all over my windshield (and me too), cleaning up left-overs together and playing footy-paw tag.

It is great that they share with us all the love they do.

Farewell to them all.

[Katastrophe]

Condolences and sympathies for your loss, 6S9L... Over the years growing up, my family had to deal with the loss of several pets (most due to old age, one died at the vet while we were on vacation). It's never easy, and the greif is every bit as significant and real as it would be for the loss of a close loved one.

When I met Mrs. Katastrophe, she had this cute little mutt named Kickers, because he had 3 1/2 legs. She picked him up from the Animal Shelter, and chose him because of his sweet disposition, and because of his missing leg, he would probably not be adopted. The dog and I have bonded. Wherever I go, he's with me, and is more than content to just lay around, as long as he's getting a good scratch behind the ears. He's now my dog, but he's getting grey around the muzzle, and is starting not to get around as good as he did a few years ago. I don't even want to think about how it's gonna be when his time comes.

Tim - Wow, that's a sad story about the loss of your Heidi. We have a mini dachsund named Snickers that I constantly worry about back problems. Sorry for your loss as well...

[warren0728]

sorry 696l...it's always hard to loose a pet...it's amazing how much a part of the family they become...

[Mark]

6S9L

So sorry to hear about Riley. We are big dog lovers around here and know exactly what your going through, our thoughts are with you. After a time your heart will heal but you'll never forget Riley. Then the best therapy I know of is to get another dog, Riley would surely want one of his distant cousins to feel the love that he got from you and your family. This is what gets me through with ever dog we have lost over the years. They do put their paw prints on you heart thats for sure!