This is a picture of our Rufus. As you can see from his picture he had a beautiful smile. I found him one day while at a flea market with my mother. We were walking out the door when two girls walked in carrying a cage with several puppies. He was just a small ball of white fuzz. He was a Chow/Sheppard mix.

He was always a little skidish and when he was a puppy he ran into the street and was hit by a speeding car! Because he was still growing we were told by a orthopedic pet surgeon that he would need to have surgery to his front leg and then redo the surgery again in another 6 months.

I was concerned about the amount of damage to his leg and as a nurse I thought that because of his size and the extent of damage to his leg that he may develop arthritis later in life and have great difficulty walking. I decided it was better to amputate his poor leg.

After Rufus healed he adapted very well. There was no cat that was gonna come in his yard and think they could out run him. He was fast!!! He was a wonderful protector with a great bark! He also loved to fetch for hours......sometimes I would throw the ball down the stairs trying to wear him out but he would bark to let you know he was still waiting for you to play with him.

He enjoyed laying on our elevated front porch and over look the neighborhood. My mother who is in her 80's enjoyed driving by her children's homes when she needed to get out and get some fresh air for herself. She always enjoyed driving by our house in warm weather because Rufus would recognize her car and open the screen door himself and go out to greet her. This always gave my mother joy.

Rufus was nervous around small children so we always had to be careful when friends came to visit with small one's. But children always remembered him, probably because of his handicap and his ability to run and play regardless of missing his front leg.

Rufus also had a cute habit of sitting up on his hind legs and he would just look around with his ears out in a horizontal position like plane wings. And whenever he got a ball caught underneath any furniture you knew that you may as well just get up now and get that ball or his crying would drive you crazy until you did. Then he would drive me crazy in the morning while I would be trying to get ready for work, Rufus would drop his Tennis ball in the bath tub and even the toilet and then bark until you threw it and then he would be immediately back to do it again. He was tireless.

His very favorite thing to do was watch the Koi fish swim in the back yard. Whenever they would get too close to him he would snap at the water like he was going to bite one. One summer we had a few little frogs in the pond. He really loved them!!!! On one occasion a frog jumped out of the water towards him. Well... he could hardly jump backwards fast enough to get away from that frog. Rufus and that pond provided hours of cheap entertainment. His quirky habits are what made him so unique and lovable!

Over the past two years Rufus began slowing down and found it more difficult to get up, like we all do. This past fall and early winter he really began to decline and began having some falls and tumbles. One afternoon he had a terrible fall down our stairs and hit his snout and developed an abscessed tooth as a result. He recovered and had good days and bad days but more and more he was having difficulty with his balance amongst other things. But every time you called his name he gave you a bright smile and wagged his tail. It was such a difficult decision to make of when enough was enough and when his pain and suffering is at the cost of our difficulty of letting go.

So this is in honor of our friend and family member Rufus. You will never be forgotten and will always be missed. We hope you have a wonderful porch in heaven and are watching over everyone there as you did here.

With love,

Mom & Dad

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