10/23/2026
Our dear sweet girl Riley😭
Life is so unpredictable, leaving you wondering why, and what could I have done? I overthink just about everything. Check and recheck, but was not ready for what was about to happen.
I went to bed on Monday wondering if I would wake up in the morning and find our little guy Spock had flown to heaven. He is an old boy and has been declining steadily, but still gets around, eats like a champ and lets you know if he wants something. But he is sleeping so much more and Monday evening he wasn’t very interested in food. I always try to prepare my mind for the inevitable. I even got up to check on him through the night.
Tuesday morning came and Spock was up and waiting for breakfast. We started getting everyone out and giving meds to those who needed them.
Riley ran out and did her usual romp around the yard. She got breakfast, but didn’t try to devour it like she normally does. The next minute she was vomiting and suddenly collapsed! We felt no heartbeat and her gums were blue. I began massaging her while telling her how much she is loved and choking back the tears. We thought she was gone!
Suddenly she had a heartbeat again, but very irregular, similar to atrial fibrillation. She had no previous heart issues and wasn’t on medication. I was hoping by some miracle her heart would fix itself, we could get to an emergency facility and she would be fine, but it didn’t last. She took a few breaths and left us for good this time!💔
Riley came to us from FCDS and ended up spending the last ten years here. She had a few meet and greets in the first year, but it never worked out. The adopters felt she was more than they wanted to take on.
Poor baby was full of anxiety. All kinds of anxiety. Getting to the vet was a huge ordeal. Gabapentin, trazodone, muzzles, lots of techs and aides trying to hold her down.
On one trip, the sun was shining brightly, causing sun spots on the roof of the car. Riley freaked out and began lunging, slamming into me and causing us to go off the side of the road. She didn’t mean any harm, but was just very reactive. Even with sedatives.
I discovered she had eaten part of a blanket one day, so we had to make another dreaded trip to the vet. Luckily it all passed through her system and surgery wasn’t needed. We then bought an “indestructible”bed for her to keep her safe from ingesting more blankets and beds, but no one told Riley. It took about a month , but she managed to chew holes in it as well. 😬
She had two trainers, but they just seemed to cause more anxiety. We just tried to be as patient as possible and let her take everything at her own pace. Eventually she began to relax, but vet visits were still an issue.
Riley was a very intelligent girl. She did great commands, sit, stay, shake, etc. She was also very loving and affectionate. It’s so sad that she never got the opportunity to show others just how wonderful she really was. She went to the Dublin Pet Fair with us. We were rotating kiddos and within a few minutes of being crated there, she broke out of the crate by destroying it. At that point it was decided that events weren’t a good thing for our high strung girl.
We came to the conclusion that the best thing for her was just to stay with us for the long haul. No more stress or uncertainty. She was home!!!❤️
It’s been very hard without her here these last couple of days. Riley was perfectly imperfect and I loved her. All of her! We were blessed to have a decade with her and it has been an honor and privilege to be a part of her life! I’m going to miss her and her antics for the rest of mine!😢💔
