My Beloved Rusty Options

[waflady]

Where do I begin to tell you about Rusty? ......
In 1988, I was in field training to be a police officer. My training officer and I stopped at our Sergeant's house to see the litter of puppies. The mother, a tri-colored collie, had eight beautiful bundles of fluff, some tri-colored like her, some with standard collie markings. I set my heart on choosing one like the mother, and easily talked my dear husband into acquiring a puppy. When we went to choose, a pot bellied little fellow, colored in the lovely white/brown/ black markings most collies are noted for, waddled over to me and parked himself between my feet, rolling over for a belly rub. That was it. He chose us, and there was no argument from us. ( So much for one that looked like his mother!) We took our new baby home and named him Rusty, after the many dogs in the then-popular "Far Side" cartoons.
He was nothing but a joy to us always. Extremely smart, expressive and energetic, Rusty house trained in two weeks. His vocabulary was vast, and he could fetch any toy by name. He loved to go to yard sales, where he would carefully select a stuffed animal for himself, and proudly carry it home. He loved his brothers and sisters, the three cats we also had. His heart was as brave as it was loyal, and he once chased two thieves breaking into a neighbor's car at three in the morning. He never destroyed anything in the house, and was the only dog I ever met who wouldn't eat eggs. He was most generous in waiting until we got out of our bed before he got on it. His face displayed a thousand emotions.
When Rusty was three, we decided he needed another playmate, so we had a daughter. But, despite the care and concern he obviously felt for her, he remained most loyal to us, his mom and dad. Rusty was overjoyed when we decided to leave the city lifestyle and move to a more rural area. I became a stay at home mom to both my babies. Rusty really didn't mind sharing his land with the deer or rabbits, but he barked at every bird he ever saw. He would bark at a lone feather in the yard if he confronted it! He reveled in the chance to run and generally considered himself the lord of all he surveyed. We never argued this fact.
Over the years, he suffered through surgeries on both his knees, but in general remained in excellent health. Old age slowly advanced, as it does for all of us, and his runs became walks, his hearing was lost, and his back legs became lame. Nothing could dim the bright shining intelligence and devotion in his eyes, though. The last six months of his life, we gently carried him on his necessary trips outside, and up and down the stairs. He endured the indignities of incontinence, and his once proud and muscled body began to atrophy.He could not walk more than a few steps without falling. In December, shortly before his sixteenth birthday, my beloved adopted son, as much a child of my heart as my own daughter, began to vocalize his pain to us and the look in his eyes became one of pleading. That terrible decision had to be made, and we helped our beloved Rusty cross to the other side, to be a companion to my father, and all the other great and noble dogs and cats I have had the honor to know and love. My heart is forever broken, but I am also forever blessed just to have known him. I wish I could write a novel, a sonnet, an epic ode to this great and wonderful friend. I can't wait to see him again, and pat his beautiful head, and once again watch him run.
P. S. This picture is of Rusty at approximately age 15. Still beautiful in my eyes. Always beautiful in my heart.

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[jillybromley]

The love in your heart for your dear Rusty comes through in the words of your beautiful tribute to him, it brought tears to my eyes.

It is so desperately sad to loose such a beautiful, intelligent and loving family member. I expect your heart feels very empty without him. I think our babies take a little piece of our hearts with them when they go to rainbow bridge, and leave a little piece of their hearts with us. That way we can remain connected to them until we see them again.

My thoughts are with you

With love
jilly