Saturday, August 16, 2008

Ryder & Elsie (RIP Ryder 2/93-8/07)


I'm glogging again because I was so impressed by gal stamper's posts and how she posted her cards on here. Also her precious dogs. Which I can talk about all day. My girl, Elsie, I got in January, 08. My baby, Ryder, who was a dachshund/beagle mix (photo attached) passed to the next life 8/29/07. The anniversary is coming up. My sister sent me some old pics of Ryder and 2 of my past kitties yesterday, and boy did I boo hoo. Elsie has helped so much with having that little adoring shadow. She's very different from Ryder. She is a cocker spaniel, beautiful tan w/ huge paws and jowls. She eats and drinks like a big dog. Gets water all over the place when she drinks. We suspect she may be one of those golden retriever/cocker spaniel hybrids, called a comfort retriever. She looks a lot like them, and she is a few pounds bigger than a normal cocker, and her hair is straighter, than any cocker I've ever seen. She's 3 1/2 and was rescued from a puppy mill. At her young age she had already had many litters, my guess is every time she went into heat she was strapped up to one of those god-awful contraptions to get her pregnant, carried and had the puppies, and started the process again. Those places are hell-holes. She was kept in a dark barn with 100's of other dogs, several per crate, probably had to fight for her food because it was kind of thrown into the crates which are stacked on top of each other, in their own feces & excremement, for her first 3 years. Please, GO TO A SHELTER BEFORE YOU GO TO A BREEDER OR PET STORE. Many of these breeders and a lot of pet stores have puppies that don't come from a good environment. Not all, but many.


Anyhow, back to Ryder. He was one good boy. Had him 14 great years. He saw me through, a breakup w/ a long-time boyfriend, loneliness & depression, several kitties who he loved and played with until Sweety, who doesn't like other animals, came along. He was with me when I met Tim and got an instant family of a husband and 2 young sons. He didn't like that at all, sharing me with a family, but he was my loyal, loving shadow through it all. He was such a good boy. I knew he was old and would pass, and I asked God to let it be quick, and painless. His last day, he started getting fluid in his tummy and he was really afraid. His heart was failing. I sat with him all afternoon until we went to the vets. I had a feeling he was leaving us. I think the Vet Emergency Center is great for emergencies, but I had an experience with Booger, and realized they will do anything to keep an animal alive, and in some situations that's great, but I didn't want Ryder's last night to be in a hospital away from his family. I'd made my mind up already he wasn't going there, because it would have scared him so much.


So, Tim and I took him, and sure enough, it was time. He was trying to cough up this fluid that was building up in his lungs and tummy and couldn't. The vet said it would be painful for him if we let him continue like that. We got to say Goodbye. We called the boys to come up there so they could say Goodbye, it was heartbreaking, but it was right. He's up there with Uncle Eugene who loved him so, Booger, and Grandaddy Eddie who he never met in his earthly life but was a huge animal lover, just like his brother Eugene. He's doing figure 8's in the sand right now!! Once when Tim's folks lived on the river there was a really low tide, and Ryder was in his younger days. He loved going there. He was running in these huge figure 8's in the sand, ears flying, having the time of his life. He was one good boy. RIP my good boy. Here's a pic of him above.

2 comments:

Mary Sue Bancroft said...

Oh my this was so sweet and yet sad to read. It made me cry! I know how it feels to lose an animal you love so much. I hope you find many pleasures in your new baby.

Julie Brown said...

Thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts. Have a great week! Julie