Rusty the Wonder Beagle

The year 1999 was a momentous one for my family, although we didn't realize just how much it was until a couple of years later.

Rusty the Wonder Beagle
July 1, 1999 - May 23, 2014

In February 1999, my mother was diagnosed with her fourth recurrence of cancer, this time with spots in her
lungs.  It was very aggressive and quickly consumed her.  By June, she was diagnosed terminal and given six months. She made it until the end of August.  My family stumbled on for a few months, trying to find our way until I married my wife in October, on what would have been my mother's 55th birthday.

Unbeknownst to us, there were other events that started in that year that would have an impact on us almost as great as the loss of my mother and the gain of my wife.

On July 1, 1999, a female beagle whelped a brood of puppies.

A young family, who has seen the movie "Rusty: A Dog's Tale," and fell in love with the breed, bought on of the puppies and took it home for their six year old daughter.

But the family had not done their homework and did not realize that beagles are an active breed and need a lot of exercise and a lot of attention.  It was not what they were looking for in a dog and gave the pup to his parents.

As fate would have it, in early 2001, the grandfather developed a medical condition that left him unable to deal with such an energetic dog and they decided to give him up, but did not want to send him to a pound where he might be euthanized.

It was about this time that my father was considering pulling the plug and retiring, a major accomplishment for a workaholic.

I did not like the idea of my dad spending his days in an empty house with nothing to do. So I got in touch with a friend and coworker, Sam, who did informal animal rescue work on her free time.  I asked her to keep her eyes and ears open for a beagle, a breed that both my father and I were attached to and the same breed as my childhood dog, Lady.

With fortune on our side, Sam had heard of Rusty when his owners sent out feelers for a new family for him.  She gave us the contact information for the family.

We scheduled a preadoptive visit and it was love at first sight.  On April 1, 2001, Rusty rescued and adopted me, my wife and my father.  My wife, who said she wasn't going to "get attached to any damn dog," fell for him the hardest.

As that he was meant to be a companion for my dad in his retirement, he lived with my dad. My wife and I came over every day, rain or shine, summer or winter, to take him for walkies, play with him and enjoy the love he had to share, which was endless.

Over the next thirteen years, Rusty hardly ever gave us a problem.  He had one of the most gentle souls I've ever met.  He never growled or snapped at anyone, no matter if it was a child pulling his ears or one of us giving him his insulin injections in his later years.

Oh, of course he gave the mailman and the rabbits hell, but that was his job, dammit.  And I still smile at the memory of his beagle's baying, sounding like the Hound of the Baskervilles on a moonless night.

During the next 13 years, Rusty has helped us through good times and bad.

He comforted us when we lost jobs, when my grandfather passed on or other misfortunes fell on our family.

He was also there to help us celebrate the good times, especially if that meant going for walkies, car car rides or even better, getting some treats.

Sadly, as happens to all living creatures, age took its toll on Rusty.  He developed diabetes, he had a recurring infection in his eyes and in an abscess on his side and he started suffering hip dysplasia which took away his independence.

On Friday, we decided that we were being selfish by keeping Rusty in such misery and guided him to the Rainbow Bridge.

My family and I would like to thank the hundreds of people that have sent their sympathies and condolences over the past few days.

Rusty was the bestest boy and I will grieve for him for a long time and miss him as long as I live.

Coincidentally, I saw a meme on Facebook today that seems so damn fitting.  The true meaning of RIP should be Return If Possible.

Who Rescued Whom?

Now for something apolitical.

Twelve years ago, my mother had been dead for two years and my father was about to retire.

I didn't like the thought of him rambling around an empty house, so I asked a friend of mine who was part of an informal animal rescue group to keep her eyes and ears open for a beagle, the breed that both my father and I were partial to.

At the end of March, she told me about a beagle named Rusty (the Wonder Beagle) who was on his second family, and for various reasons, they were looking for a third.  My dad and I did a pre-placement visit to make sure the dog was healthy and good-natured.

It was love at first sight.

Twelve years ago to this date, we went and picked him up and brought him to his forever home.

Two Christmases ago, he got very sick and almost died on us.  But he bounced back - for the most part.  He developed diabetes and we've been giving him daily insulin injections ever since.

Along with the diabetes and old age, he's become blind and is hard of hearing (or maybe just selective hearing?), but his heart his as gentle as it's ever been and he is not in any pain.

Even though it was very expensive when he got sick, and even though it will break our hearts when he succumbs to the inevitable, we have no regrets.

As I look back over the past twelve years, I can say I don't think I've ever met a more loving or a more gentle soul.  His unconditional love carried us through job losses and the death of my grandfather.  He's given us joy and his antics have given us laughter that are more valuable than any amount of money.

We have no regrets for taking him in to our lives.

But we do have one question that may never be answered.

Who rescued whom?

If you're ever looking for a companion animal, whether it be a dog, cat, bird or any other critter, I would suggest looking at the local humane society or contacting a rescue group.  These animals make great companions and will be well worth the investment.