Why...?
How...?
What if I...?
If I only...?
So many questions, so much guilt. So unexpected...
Remi passed away last night, August 17th, around 10:00pm. He did not come when called at bed time. Melanie and I went outside to look for him and found him lying still as if he simply fell asleep. Our hearts are broken.
May 25th, 2009 is the day that Remi came into our lives. He was about 8 weeks old when Apollo and I "stumbled" across the little fur ball.
Melanie was gone on a girls, Memorial Day weekend trip to the Oregon coast, which doubled as a weening weekend for 1-year-old Apollo. I found an ad for a litter of puppies that were a cross between a Miki and a Japanese Chin.
Always a fan of small "hair" dogs, Apollo and I had to take a look. Apollo, grabbed Remi as soon as he met him and said, "Mine." We brought him home and waited for Melanie to return. We let Melanie name him. She chose Remi; a shortened version of Remington, although I always joked it was short for Remedial.
Remi was the ideal family dog, though it took more than six years for him to realize that he wasn't the Alpha of the family.
He never showed aggression towards another dog, animal, or person, and wanted nothing more than to be the center of attention. His only perceived rival was Orion and it took until a year ago to realize that Orion was just another member of the pack.
I referred to Remi as the boys "fur brother", and they as Remi's "skin brothers."
Remi loved camping. If we opened the RV door for anything, while parked in our yard, Remi would jump inside and lie down in "his" chair, just to make sure we didn't forget to take him along.
He loved the beach and the water and would run in-and-out of the waves on his own accord and then splash in the water along side the boys.
When we brought home Shredded, he became Remi's cat and not ours. He welcomed every dog into our home and always had impeccable doggie manners.
Remi climbed in bed with Apollo every night at bed time, and then waited until Melanie and I went to bed. He would then sleep at my feet all night, leaping from the bed and racing out the dog door at the slightest hint of something being amiss.
He chased off raccoons, possum, fox, mice, snakes, cats, and skunks...that is until he finally got sprayed twice this summer. In his mind he felt betrayed; he only wanted to play with the like colored funny looking dog.
At 10 1/2 years old, he still had a lot of puppy in him. Remi was energetic and playful, even on the day that he passed.
Melanie and I have been playing back the days and weeks leading up to his passing. Its the natural thing to do I guess, struggling with guilt. Did we overlook something? Was he sick and we missed the signs? If we looked for him sooner, could we have saved him?
Remi had a great life with us, but it was far shorter than we would have liked. Our home feels empty and our hearts are heavy.
Remi was our pet, our companion, our protector, and our friend.
Run free little buddy. We love you. We miss you and always will. You took a huge chunk of our hearts with you when you left.
Remington - March 25, 2009 ~August 17, 2019
How...?
What if I...?
If I only...?
So many questions, so much guilt. So unexpected...
Remi passed away last night, August 17th, around 10:00pm. He did not come when called at bed time. Melanie and I went outside to look for him and found him lying still as if he simply fell asleep. Our hearts are broken.
I referred to Remi as the boys "fur brother", and they as Remi's "skin brothers."
Remi loved camping. If we opened the RV door for anything, while parked in our yard, Remi would jump inside and lie down in "his" chair, just to make sure we didn't forget to take him along.He loved the beach and the water and would run in-and-out of the waves on his own accord and then splash in the water along side the boys.
When we brought home Shredded, he became Remi's cat and not ours. He welcomed every dog into our home and always had impeccable doggie manners.
Remi climbed in bed with Apollo every night at bed time, and then waited until Melanie and I went to bed. He would then sleep at my feet all night, leaping from the bed and racing out the dog door at the slightest hint of something being amiss.
He chased off raccoons, possum, fox, mice, snakes, cats, and skunks...that is until he finally got sprayed twice this summer. In his mind he felt betrayed; he only wanted to play with the like colored funny looking dog.
At 10 1/2 years old, he still had a lot of puppy in him. Remi was energetic and playful, even on the day that he passed.
Melanie and I have been playing back the days and weeks leading up to his passing. Its the natural thing to do I guess, struggling with guilt. Did we overlook something? Was he sick and we missed the signs? If we looked for him sooner, could we have saved him?
Remi had a great life with us, but it was far shorter than we would have liked. Our home feels empty and our hearts are heavy.
Run free little buddy. We love you. We miss you and always will. You took a huge chunk of our hearts with you when you left.
Remington - March 25, 2009 ~August 17, 2019
