HELLO, RILEY
wagwagwag
YOU’VE BEEN A GOOD DOG?
wagwag
WHAT ABOUT THE TIME YOU ATE THE WHOLE LOAF OF BREAD?
… blink
AND THE PACKAGE OF HOT DOGS?
… blinkblink
GOOD BOY
wagwagwagwagTHUMPTHUMP
I HEAR YOU CHEWED UP MOM’S PILL CONTAINER TO GET AT THE GLUCOSAMINE
… blinkblinkblinkwagwag
THEY LOVED YOU ANYWAY. VERY, VERY MUCH.
wagwagwagwagwagTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP
THEY GAVE YOU COOKIES AND TOOK YOU ON TRIPS.
wagwagwagwagwagwag
COME GET A COOKIE. THERE ARE COOKIES FOREVER. DON’T WORRY. SOMEDAY THEY’LL COME TO TAKE YOU ON A WALK.
Riley came into our life as “Rascal” about 18 months ago. He might have been 7, 8 or 9 years old. He was a rescue hound from Virginia with scars on his leg, tattered ears, misshapen foot pads and what looked like the result of a tangle with a porcupine on his snout.
His last couple of days, all he wanted to eat were jerky treats. He knew our vet and her assistants, and was always happy to see them, so the end was not scary. I brought some treats to the vet and for his last 15 minutes he was happily having tasty nibbles while we sat on the floor.
I held him and rubbed his side when they gave him the shot and I told him he’d always have “lots of cookies.”
Years ago we adopted Doogie, a rescue “part Lab” who turned out to be a mostly white, lemon foxhound mix. Doogie was a good boy on the older side with a very bad heart murmur and we gave him a good home until one day he collapsed in the kitchen. That was a terrible day.
But Doogie convinced us we liked hounds. He was followed by Wessie, a hound rescue from Georgia. We didn’t know it at the time but he’s a purebred foxhound, and he’s still with us.
So when we saw “Rascal” at the local SPCA we had to check him out. He gave me That Look from inside the cage and the next day we brought Wessie to meet him and took him home. His DNA came back as ¾ foxhound, and equal parts Treeing Walker and harrier.
He quickly took over the living room daybed as his favorite spot. We’d come in the door and THUMP THUMP THUMP he’d be whacking his tail on the cushions. “Why-ilweeee!!!” became the standard hello.
In July we noticed lumps on his neck and tests determined it was lymphoma. Given 6 or 8 more weeks by the vet, he gave us 6 more months with the help of prednisone. When he got to the point of having trouble with his back legs, and I was helping him get up more and more often. He got less and less interested in food (especially the hot dogs we used to feed him pills, and deli ham to entice him), and at that point we knew we couldn’t let him starve. It was time.
We wish very, very much we’d had more time with such a sweet dog. You never know with an older rescue, but you hope for three good years — at least I do.
Before he got sick, he did have impressive counter-surfing talents and once hoisted a nice greasy frying pan from the sink. His devotion to removing every molecule from an empty yogurt container was a marvel.
As a composer, he could bring out the best in a rack of pans and skillets if there was a molecule he thought he could lick.
Riley enjoyed going walkabout. Just a few days after we brought him home, we let him into the fenced front yard in the morning. I happened to look out the window in time to see a wagging white tail disappearing into the driveway across the street. Luckily I caught up with him, and he only tried climbing the chain-link that one time. I suspect he knew where the treats were most easily found.
During his second trip to Maine, while we were packing the Jeep to catch the ferry to leave Vinalhaven, he noticed we weren’t looking and the gate was open. Off he went, ambling through the neighborhood, even though by then he was not as keen on his daily walks as he once was.
Quick-thinking folks at the farmers market put his photo on Facebook and within a short while he was reported crossing a nearby yard. When I caught up with him, he was enjoying himself as he walked down a nearby street. This dog was nonchalant about everything having to do with travel.
*With a nod to Terry Pratchett.
** And thanks for all the very kind comments and stories. Riley enjoyed his time on the Rec List, too.