Today is one of the hardest days. Today we had to say goodbye to the best boy, to my best friend, Ryder. I’m feeling lost and heartbroken, and I just don’t have the words to adequately describe the loss of my beautiful boy. He was perfect inside and out, and will leave a huge hole in my life and in my heart. I knew this day was coming, but I still wasn’t ready. While we were blessed with 14 years together, it still wasn’t long enough.
Today is a very special day…today is our Ryder’s 14th birthday! Ryder has been the sweetest, best boy his entire life. He’s brought so much love and joy into our lives, and has made so many friends online, that he deserves to be celebrated. Not only has he been devoted to us, he spent 8 years performing therapy dog visits, bringing countless smiles and endless comfort to everyone he visited. Here are just a few pictures from the last 14 years.
Summer is almost here, and the collies are shedding their Winter coats like crazy! I’ve been brushing out their coats, trying to speed things along. Ryder is my senior, rough collie. As he will be turning 14 in August, he can’t stand for long grooming sessions. Since it was a rare nice day, as it’s been a very rainy season, I took him out in the yard to brush out his coat. He loves to stretch out in the grass while I brush through his fur.
After we were done, I decided to take some pictures of the old man, he looked so handsome next to my collie garden.
I feel so grateful to still have him with me, especially after losing Kori last year. Puppies are adorable, and so much fun, but seniors are my favorite. They bring so much comfort and are perfect companions.
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| The prettiest flower in my garden is my collie flower! |
Ryder is slowing down, he has a bit of trouble getting up, and walks with a limp even with his pain meds. This boy has been my best friend for nearly 14 years, and I desperately hope I will get to celebrate his 14th birthday with him. So I treasure every day with him, and each night I worry about what tomorrow might bring. But for now, I still have my best boy by my side.
I’ve written many posts about the collie breed, about Sunnybank and about Lassie. I’ve written about books I enjoy and the history of the collie. I’ve written product reviews and shared our news about the wins and new titles my collies have earned. But looking back, I realized I don’t write nearly enough stories about my collies, to share their personalities and antics, to share their lives. That’s something I’m going to work on in the upcoming months.
To that end, let me dedicate this post to Ryder. We have/had quite a few smooths, but until Rosie joined our family, there has only been one rough collie, our Ryder. Ryder was the 1st puppy born in our 1st litter, and the story of his birth is here. At 72 lbs, he is a big guy, and is taller than our girls. Lad was our 1st collie ever, and our 1st boy, and we lost him when Ryder was just a young puppy. Since then, Ryder has been our only boy. (until Nolan joined the family this weekend.)
Ryder has always been incredibly sweet and gentle. He inherited his temperament from his Mother, Abby. Like Abby, there has never been an instance when he has lost his patience, except once. I think Ryder was around 4 years old at the time. He was out in the backyard with the other collies, and I heard barking. I went to the back door to see what was causing the commotion. Just outside the doorway I spotted Ryder, and I could tell he was upset. And that’s when I noticed two small birds swooping down and pulling his fur! Apparently they had built their nest in the tall shrub next to the back door, and were protecting their babies, when Ryder had ventured too close.
Before I could intervene and save Ryder, he reached up and quickly caught one of the birds mid flight. He gently dropped the stunned bird onto the ground, where it stared at him for a moment before flying away. To catch a bird in the air, and to release her unharmed, showed just how gentle my boy is in all things. And honestly, he was only defending himself, he wasn’t really angry. His calm gentle nature is what made him an ideal therapy dog. For 8 years Ryder did therapy visits, bringing comfort and smiles to countless individuals. He was so popular, in part because of his beautiful coat and sweet face, and because he instinctively knows when people are stressed or sad.
When I would get annoyed or upset, Ryder would immediately appear at my side, leaning against me to sooth me or make me smile. He’s now 13 1/2 years old, a very old man. He limps when he walks, and is on daily pain medicine and a monthly Librela injection. He sleeps a lot, but he is still ready to cuddle whenever I ask. He can no longer jump on the bed, so I lift him up, and he curls up next to me. We snuggle together for hours, and I treasure every moment. I know he will be leaving me soon, and I can’t bear to think about it. He’s irreplaceable, and I hope we get to celebrate his 14th birthday this August.
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In the brisk Autumn air,
The collie bounds,
Into the forest of red and gold,
A Fall palette of color surrounds.
Dancing through the falling leaves,
His steps are swift and light,
Chasing squirrels through the trees,
His playful spirit takes flight.
His burnished coat of red and brown,
His paws so snowy white,
His beauty steals my breath away,
In my Autumn collie I delight.
~ Kat Pirro
These pictures were from many years ago, when my Ryder was a young collie. But they are some of my favorites so I wanted to share them once again.
Today is a very special day for us! Our Ryder is celebrating his 13th birthday today! Ryder - Marchello’s Ride the Storm, CGCA, THDD, FDC, TKN, VC, thanks for 13 years of love, you are the very best boy!
He has been my very best friend, and has always been the sweetest, most gentle collie I could ask for. I’m so grateful for every day with him! On to the celebration of Ryder through the years. It was so hard to choose a “few” favorite pictures when he is such a beautiful boy!
