I’ve Lost my dog. He wasn’t just any dog you see, he was beautiful, smart, and perfect for us! We have all said that he saved us, each one in their own way, he saved us. We uprooted our family in 2005; uprooted everything at 5, 11, and 15.

It was a hot day in July when we got a call about a dog. We had just moved to the center of Kansas, lived in our camper for 4 months and had finally gotten a house. New to town, no friends, no church, no family close we were displaced and we were disheartened. The call was literally a call from an angel. She said he was too much dog for her elderly father and he needed rehomed. We went to town in an old white extended cab pickup and 3 little kids. Everyone was so excited to meet this new dog, Rusty!! Wow!! Was he a ball of fire running hot laps in the backyard and circling us saying hello!! He willingly jumped in the back seat for the new adventure and a lifetime of love.

The next morning my 5 year old had him on a long leash trying to contain him! I would hear the front door open and shut with the loud “Mom!!!” coming from a small voice and a little girl being drug around the front yard! “Mom!! Come see my new dog, Peter!!” “We don’t have a dog named Peter!!” “Yes huh”, she yells, “Rusty Peter!” We did have a Rusty Peter! He was so fast he had to go to obedience school and the first 30 seconds he peed 4 times!! Each week we anxiously took him and before we knew it he was brilliant!! He fed cows with Mike and ate more cubes than the cows, he tolerated Addie tying him to the fence with a jump rope while she hosed him down and bathed him, he hated guns, storms and fireworks, and he would take off running! One night he made it clear to the airport! The problem was that he could hear those pops way before we could! He chased the UPS truck and broke his front leg, had to have a cast and healed with a slight turned out foot. He went to work everyday riding with Mike and sitting tall in the passenger seat looked more like his girlfriend with that beautiful gold hair!

He guarded the kids as they grew and loved his ears rubbed. He brought joy beyond belief and we agreed that we would never let him suffer. With the help of medicine and CBD oil, a climate controlled garage, a memory foam bed, and so much love we had him 18 months longer than we thought we would, but last night was different. The same little girl who was drug around the yard by him called and said that it’s time, he hurts. We rode to town to meet the vet and he laid next to me like he had so many years at the end of my bed. I held him and told him to look for my dad on the West Coast of Heaven and to run left when he got to the gate. My dad loved him too. We quietly said our goodbyes but more than that we said our thank you. Thank you Russ for bringing happiness everyday we left in the morning and came home at night, thank you for always smiling when we couldn’t, thank you for loving us without any judgement, thank you for keeping skunks out of the yard, thank you for playing endlessly with the kids, thank you for being the kindest soul. People could take a huge lesson from our dogs….love is love.

Until we meet again…. I love you

E