Friday was Ri's last day, but she went out with a bang. Started out the day with a homecooked breakfast, then shared Pearly's biscuits at the office, had a ride in the topless car to Checker's for burgers, then a picnic out back. The rest of the afternoon she spent being petted by Clark & I on the front bed.
There was nothing we could do to reverse her worn out body, so we did what was right for her to maintain dignity to the end.
She never, not once, had an accident in the house in her senior years, despite her back end getting too weak to make it out the doggie door. She got stuck one day in the doggie door, half way in, half way out. Bonnie the Good alerted Clark to this situation.
One day she was being extra demanding while we were eating dinner, so I closed her out of the kitchen. Quite displeased, she left me an "on purpose", not an "accident", in the living room. I never shut her out of the kitchen or anywhere else again.
We had a very quiet weekend at home with the greyhounds. Too quiet perhaps. The greyhounds are great dogs, but they are pretty quiet and actually lazy, compared to Ri.
Ri was always on the go, checking on her people, padding around the house in her senior years, running around the house in her youth.
I'd come out of the bathroom and she'd be waiting for me on the rug. If I was doing laundry, she helped with that. If I was in the kitchen, she was there ready to clean up anything that I dropped on the floor. I was especially sad when I was chopping up salad stuff last night, no Ri to eat the carrot ends or bell pepper membranes. I called for Joe, her apprentice, and he did trot on out, but he doesn't have the same work ethic and eye for detail that Ri did. He left after having a few bites of carrot.
14 years and 4 months is a long time for a dog to live, especially considering that she had gotten out in Atlanta in her youth and was briefly a shopping cart dog. She was also a cancer survior, having a cancerous growth removed from her rump over 5 years ago.
When Mr. Mallory passed and the pack was down to 4, it was hard. Being down to 3 is worse. Its not the number in the pack, but the quality of the ones that are gone that makes it so sad. Mallory and Ri were larger then life personalities and their remaining pack members are doing thier best to step up, but Ri's scratchy paws will never be replaced.
1 comment:
What a beautiful and touching tribute to Ri. All of our dogs are the whole world to us, but I think Ri was just a little extra special. Maybe because she was the little one... but she was there first and it was her house. She always put up with all of the greys even if they picked on her some! What a great sport and a sweet little pup she will always be. I loved everything about her... just even saying her name RI RI.I know you are smiling at us up in RAINBOW BRIDGE! Thanks for letting us come stay at your house last summer and for all of the cute stories I have heard about you through the years. We are all lucky to have known you and have you as a friend of ours. We will definitely see you again.
We love you so much RI and you will be close to our hearts!!
Mic, Craig, Sadie, Brantley, Petie, Brinnie and Kylie
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