Riley

Riley and his brothers were in route to the local pet shop the day I brought him home. He and his three brothers were barely five weeks old when they were taken from their mother to head down to the pet shop where they would be sold to whom ever had the money to buy. Four mini doxies, much too young to leave their mother. Riley weighed in at barely a pound the day I brought him home.

Riley's parents belonged to the sister of a lady I worked with. From the day the pups were born, I got a daily report on their progress and antics from my friend, Marsha. She had taken a liking to the runt of the litter and decided that I would make the perfect mother for him. I insisted that I was not prepared to take on the responsibilities of a new puppy at that particular time. My husband and I were both working and we felt a puppy would get too lonley at home alone while we were gone every day. Marsha kept up with the daily reports, knowing that every day I heard about them, I was coming closer to giving in. She usually focused on her favorite, insisting that he would be a perfect choice for me. He was, according to her, the cutest puppy, with the sweetest personality.

It was Marsha's day off and I was working, when in she walks with a big box and an equally big grin on her face. The pups were on their way to the pet shop, just a few blocks down the road. She knew that once I saw her favorite pup, I wouldn't be able to resist, and I'd take him home. She hated the thought of him going to a pet shop to be sold to strangers. I peeked inside of that box, and my heart just melted at the site of those tiny little guys! We took them outside and set them in the grass to run around and play while she talked me into taking home her little favorite. He was very cute, and quite the character, but my eyes immediately focused on one of the other pups. Little Riley was the second to the smallest and my choice without so much as a second thought.

I honestly don't know why, but sometimes when a human sees a littler of pups, one will catch your eye and stand out immediately. It's almost as though that special pup has a little magnetic pull aimed in your direction. For me, that pup was Riley. He spent the rest of the day at work with me, then we headed off to get him settled into his new home.

Loyal, that was Riley in a single word. His very first night with us, he slept with me. He snuggled up to me just as close as he could get. I never heard a peep out of him all night long, nor did he wet the bed. He seemed to feel that he was where he belonged, and was quite content being there. He stole our hearts and took over our house from the first day he arrived.

We could take our little guy to the beach, on a picnic, visiting, pretty much any place and we never had to worry about losing him. He did the worrying, he stuck to us like glue, always making sure at least one of us was right within his sight. Other dogs or people simply did not interest him.

Riley was his daddy's best buddy and my baby. He was a happy, secure loving little dog. He was gentle with children, protective of his family, but welcomed company.

Riley's leisurely days of a laid back, take it easy life style came to a halt when he was about 5 years old. His daddy was diagnosed with cancer and began chemotherapy treatments. The protective, canine side of Riley came shining through in no time. While his daddy was sick in bed from the chemotherapy, Riley was with him, never leaving his side. Riley knew things were not right, he became very protective of his surroundings and did not welcome company. He would get upset when any one but his own family was in the house. He had no interest in playing and he was always on guard.

This became Riley's lifestyle for several months, he had no desire to do anything else. As my husbands condition improved, so did Riley's disposition. He slowly began to welcome company again, he would come out of the bedroom for a quick hello to people he knew, but went right back in to stay by his daddy's side.

Once our household started getting back to normal, so did Riley, for the most part. He did continue to be very protective of his family, but not to the point of becoming aggressive. He just remained on his guard when people were around. With that exception, he was once again the happy, healthy little guy he had been for the first five years of his life.

Riley was ten years old when he really started to slow down. He had all of the symptoms of arthritis and was put on medication, which helped tremendously. Not long after that, we noticed a lump on his side and took him in for an examination. The vet suspected cancer and did extensive testing of Riley's vital organs as well as the lump. The tests came back positive for cancer, but his vital organs were not strong. The odds were heavily against his surviving surgery.