A Sad Story
Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at 12:31PM Yesterday we lost our golden retreiver. She became ill suddenly and the vet found a mass in her abdomen. There were treatment possibilities, but none with a promising outcome.
In memory of Taffy, I’m reposting a story about her that I wrote back in 2004. It was called, ironically, A Dog Story with a Happy Ending.
This week we discovered that our dog is a retriever. Of course, we knew when we bought her that her official title included the word, but she failed to live up to the promise of her name. She thought fetching was boring after a toss or two, but what she hated most of all was going into water any deeper than her knees.
Every summer before this, we have tried to coax her to swim with us. She knew it looked like fun, and she really wanted to be out there with the gang, so she would make a half-hearted attempt to join us, but as soon as the water touched her belly, she would turn around again and slink back to the shore. We tried gentle coaxing with sticks, throwing them out into the water for her to retrieve, but she was already an unenthusiatic fetcher, so she had no qualms about leaving a stick floating if fetching it required more than a little shallow wading.
Once the boys took turns carrying her out with them into deep water and then letting her go. She proved that she was a strong and competent swimmer, as long as the swimming was straight toward the shoreline. As soon as she reached the beach, she’d slink off to the bushes, crouching low, hoping to remain out of sight so she could avoid that happening again.
Friday night, the youngest son and I took her for a walk on the Miles Canyon trail. When we got to the little pool along the edge the river that is good for swimming, my son tossed a stick just a few feet from the bank. I’m sure it looked like a simple enough fetch to the dog, so she jumped quite willingly into the river after the stick. What she didn’t know is that the bank drops off steeply in that place, and there is no wading. Once you’re in, it’s swim or die. Somewhere in those first few seconds of instinctive paddling, she discovered that she likes swimming. Maybe she loves swimming. Out she swam to the stick, and then round and back to the bank. Again and again, round and round, eager for more when we grew tired.
Last night we took her with us to Long Lake. She ran down ahead of us to the beach, and then out into the water to try to retrieve what she thought was a stick but turned out to be the branch of a dead tree lying just under the surface of the water. There were three of us, and we tossed sticks until we all grew tired.
After we stopped tossing, she jumped in to swim out and greet some canoers paddling by. We had to call her back before she got close to them, since nothing makes paddlers more nervous than an enthusiastic dog swimming toward them.
After three summers coaxing, we suddenly have a retriever.
Reader Comments (19)
She was such a beautiful dog, Becky. And that's a wonderful memory to have of her. It really is hard to lose our pets; it's hard on everyone.
Oh, I'm so sorry, Rebecca, that you've lost your lovely Taffy. I remember when you posted this story about her, and it was nice to read again. Losing a well-loved pet is quite a sadness, and I know you will miss her.
So sad! I'm sorry, Rebecca. I can't wait to have more pets in the new heaven and earth.
I'm sorry Rebecca.
Very sorry to hear it; as Kim says, she really was a beautiful dog, and I've always loved reading the Taffy posts over the years.
Love the photo. Sorry your beautiful dog is gone. I still miss our Sheltie who has been gone for years. Almost makes me cry still.
Oh Rebecca. I'm so sorry for the loss of your beautiful Taffy.
Aw, Becky. I'm sorry. She was a wonderful dog. What a wonderful thing it is to love a dog and be loved back! Glad you have some grand-puppies to keep you company.
I'm so sorry, Rebecca. Pets have a special place in our hearts, and they always will even when they're gone.
That totally sucks. I'm sorry to read about that. I wish you peace in your grievings.
Animals are such a wonderful part of this life God gave to us. They fill a space meant just for them. Such blessings that they are to us. The comfort they bring to us is beyond measure, the warmth, the peace, someone who just listens when we talk, nudge us when we cry, love us when we are sick. And it hurts when they are gone. An empty space. Warm brown eyes, a wet nose, a joy of wagging tails when we come home ... we are praying for your family and this loss ...
So sorry, Rebecca. Losing a pet is so hard. She was a beautiful dog.
So sad. Very sorry for your loss...
I'm so sorry.
Sigh. Our (mostly) black lab (Molly) is now 13. We'll be facing this soon. I dread the first time I wake up in the night and remember I don't have to be careful about planting my feet.
We'll be facing this soon.
I hate it that pets get old. :)
Thank you, everyone, for your kind words and condolences.
Oh, Rebecca...I'm so terribly sorry. She was beautiful. :(
I am so sorry about Taffy. Having a very senior dog as part of our family, I realize that we may be dealing with the same process soon. My heart goes out to you.
I am sorry to hear this. Pets are indeed great companies.
Blessings