Dog News

Tribute to a Beloved Rescue Dog

by Melanie

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From Gremlin:

This beautiful tribute is from Rue’s foster Mom:

After 15 years of being a dedicated and loving pet owner, I thought I needed a break. The first time I met Rue, I thought to myself, I should adopt her. I somehow convinced myself that she was ok, and that she didn’t need me to rescue her—who was I to determine the quality of her life?

It wasn’t a month later when I saw her again and everything changed. Now, instead of appearing healthy she was bone skinny, and had a massive ruptured tumor on her tummy. My, how things can change when we look a little closer…

 

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I knew something had to be done. Admittedly, an immediate flood of worry came over me as I assessed whether I could afford whatever treatment she’d need, or if I’d be able to keep her–did I even WANT to keep her??

Needless to say, Rue came home with me. With the help of The Mr. Mo Project, Rue made it back to a healthy weight and through an intensive surgery in no time, and slowly but surely Rue began to come back to life. Rue was never the ‘run around and chase you’ kind of girl and we often joked that she seemed like the saddest dog ever—but we knew she was happy. No more scavenging for food, or sleeping in a pile of her own feces. No more struggling to stay awake while keeping her hindquarters up in the air as to not feel the pain of the ruptured tumor. No longer did she have to exist in the world without feeling loved.

 

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Rue’s life with me was simple. She liked to spend time outside eating grass, and occasionally our fishing bait. Most of the time she slept—I assume having a comfy bed and a safe place is probably what meant the most to her. Her favorite, by far, is when we’d curl up for a movie and she could just get in my lap rest her head on my chest and just be with me. She really didn’t ask for much.

We knew it was aggressive cancer, but we hoped we could take some of the pain away and give her a happy end of life. It’s with great sadness that I must say that today, Rue lost her battle and went over the rainbow bridge. She gave me more than I could have ever hoped to give her in return, and I’m grateful for having been able to give her a happy end of life.

To see more about The Mr. Mo Project, check them out on Facebook.