Support for Rusty's Final Journey

In 2014, I met Rusty and I knew he would change my life immediately. Maybe it wasnt the rational choice but I decided to bring him home in a time where I could barely get myself out of bed to leave the house. Taking him out in the mornings radically turned my days around; I had a reason to get up and moving for this happy energetic puppy. I fought tooth and nail to make sure he always stayed with me. We moved so many times but it didnt matter, because as long as we were together, it felt like home. True, unconditional love exists and I'm blessed to have found it. Over the last couple of years, life has thrown curveballs back to back and in my journey to keep us afloat I placed Rusty under my mother's care. I'd come in just to sleep at night and he was always faithfully wagging his tail at the sound of my voice. During this past month his health took a sharp turn. I moved into a new apartment and when I brought him in I was really able to observe how badly he was doing. I currently work 7 days a week, so in a last effort to see if there was anything I could do, I asked my mother to take him to the vet. Rusty was suffering from kidney failure. The vet stated that no amount of fluids would regulate his blood levels and the deterioration of his health was so advanced that he wasn't even sure how Rusty was still alive. I was met with the answer I already knew.

Rusty lived his best life for 11 years with me. In this time he enjoyed a full house; at different points he cohabitated with gerbils, a tank full of fish, three different cats, and 7 of his own puppies. He learned about love in Ruby Jean, my late mini-doxie, and later in the mother of his children, Lucy. How lucky I've been to see him grow and even on his last night growl at another dog for me.

These past few weeks I've reconnected with Rusty in the same way as I did in the beginning. Our story comes full circle as he once again reminded me of the value of taking time to slow down and the value of taking our surroundings in. Nothing compares to the feeling of the sun on our skins as we listened to the birds and locked eyes with each other. I await the day we are reconnected but for now I know he is still with me. No matter where I go, he will always be a part of me.