universalwomen

ALL AMERICAN DOG

06 May 2011 2 Comments

by Barb Roberts in FAMILY

Back to blogging after a little break. The reason for the lapse in writing was because our dog, Ruger, (like the gun) had become very ill and after a few days of watching him decline, and knowing there was nothing left that could be done, we made the heart-wrenching decision to have him put to sleep; euthanized. So final, so sad; a decision no one ever wants to make, but as  humans, we act as humanely as possible. We take a look at the cold, hard facts and make the decision that as our vet put it, “was the right thing to do.” From the lymphoma diagnosis on my birthday last October, we were blessed to have him  almost seven more months.

Ruger was, as I repeatedly told him,  the first and last Labrador we would ever own. Not because I dislike the breed, but because this particular Lab was totally neurotic. If you recall the movie, Marley and Me, you got a glimpse of what a Lab is capable of doing. The breed is large and strong, not too smart but smart enough. An eating machine that licked the plates as I loaded them in the dishwasher and dripped gallons of water from his jowls onto the floor after a long drink from his bowl. He preferred sleeping on the couches and chairs (when we weren’t looking) and scratched at the doors constantly; signalling his urge to go out and in, and in and out, and out and in….you get the idea. He just couldn’t make up his mind as to whether he wanted to be outside with nature, or indoors with his family. He liked it best when the doors were kept open, but that didn’t work once the days grew short and the temperatures fell. He also had a HUGE BARK. This bark would make you jump no matter how many times you heard it. It was always a shock to your system when he released his version of a lion’s roar and you jumped to attention.

To those who knew him best he was, and I quote, “The world’s grossest dog!” Ruger had a way of eating things that weren’t identifiable, roll in the foul smelling,  slimy and gooey remains of decaying animals in the woods, such as birds, rabbits, deer, and his favorite, squirrel!  He had a host of other habits that I can’t repeat.  He had an appetite for things he considered a delicacy and a penchant for grossing us out time and time again as we would find the undigested contents on the carpeting a few hours later; never the tile or hardwood floors, ALWAYS the carpet. I’m sorry to be so descriptive here, but you really need to visualize the range of his grossness.

Ruger also loved to chew holes in the throw blankets and decorative pillows on our couches. I can’t even begin to tell you how much money I spent replacing the items in the house that he destroyed. He ripped apart every doggie toy and bed we bought him; and ate hundreds of rawhide chews and bones. There was no end to his need to chew!

So why keep such an animal you might ask? Because this big, bulky, block headed dog was also lovable. From the moment he was presented to me as a pup, large baby blue bow around his neck, as I cuddled him in my arms, I knew that we now had a loyal, kind hearted family pet. Though rough to play with and difficult to train, his gentleness and good nature melted our hearts.

Ruges (as we called him), was also a fantastic hunting dog. He had a nose like no other and would gladly dive into icy waters to retrieve ducks, geese, and anything we could toss in the water. The dog LOVED water. He never met a puddle he didn’t like. At his master’s side, he and my husband had many a successful hunting trip. When we added a pointer to our family, the two complemented each other’s instinctive hunting abilities as Bindi pointed and Ruger flushed and retrieved the bird or fowl.

Bindi, a German bred Drahthhaar, soon became the alpha female, and Ruger, who outweighed her by thirty some pounds soon became her lackey. I’m sure she misses him now; with no one around to boss!

We have his paw print in clay to remember him by, and many photos of Ruger as a pup,  at my husband’s side with the bounty from a hunting trip,  Christmas mornings as we opened our presents, hunting trips, swimming with Bindi and many successful retrieves. But my favorite photo is of him and Bindi taken on a cold February day. We were out for a late afternoon walk in the fields by our house. The sun was setting and they were crazily chasing each other in the foot of snow on the ground. Good fun for dogs! As the sun set, I clicked the camera at just the right time; capturing their joy, their energy, their friendship!

We miss you Ruger. We miss our former dogs Danny and Remington too. When you love dogs, when you treat them like one of your children and embrace them as family, you grieve your loss. You cry when you put the food and water bowls away. You cry when you think you hear them trotting down the hall. You cry when you have one less dog to walk with, one less dog to feed, to hunt with  and to cuddle. You cry until one day someone brings you a new puppy to hold in your lap and you begin the process once again; knowing that one day, you’ll say goodbye.

Love your pets,

Dreama