Rielly

[smkie]

I haven't written a story in awhile..and if this is rough i am sorry..it is off the top of my head. I wanted to tell you about a dog i knew ..and how he said goodbye.

Rielly was the ex's dog. I was 17 i was as young and dumb as you could get, but i did know dogs, and Rielly was different. Rielly was more.
We had a relationship based on secrets..as soon as ex then hubby left..rielly and i had a bag of marshmallows and i would take one by one out and roast them in the wood stove (our only source of heat) and give them to him. I have yet to meet a dog that isn't in love with a freshlyt roasted (but not to hot) marshmallow. We went for walks..we had long talks. When i would have to make a run for it because ex was in a one of his moods..Rielly ran with me. We even had our favorite hiding spots. There was a clear fresh springfed pond of the farm (it ws 240 acres) that we went swimming in on all the hot afternoons. My labrador Charlie was there as well, and little scamper, but Rielly didn't mind the company. He never felt like you were with a dog..
One day Rielly came home and was shivering. I looked all over him before i found the little round hole in his hip. Ex came home and i showed him what had happened. It was x-rayed and found that the bullet couldn't be removed, it had wedged into the socket it's self. I was sitting on the sofa with cousin John..and the dogs were all conked out on the floor when Rielly came up first to little john and then me. He sat in front of me and just looked at my face..for a long long time..first little John, and then me. Ex and his father came in and said they were going somewhere..Rielly went with them. As soon as he walked out the door little john turned to me and said.."why is Reilly leaving"..we both knew we would never see him again.
Ex came back with dad and said that rielly jumped out of the back of the truck and they couldn't find him. I don 't know what happened..and ex wasn't somebody u ever questioned..but i did know that Rielly knew he was leaving. That was how he said goodbye.

[Purr]

Aw! Poor Reilly! He sounds like an awesome dog.

[Barb04]

Oh Smkie, I have tears in my eyes over Reilly. What a great dog he was.

[Love4Pits]

awww got me all teared up

[Saje]

yes that was a great story Smkie. Sad but great. Animals are amazing.

[smkie]

all true cross my heart..i wish i knew where little john was..he could say the exact same thing.

[Gustav]

*Sniff* Rielly must have been some dog!! Great story though!

[bubbatd]

How horrible!!!! I had a golden shot (not killed) with a pellet gun or shot gun in the woods...................but that's another story !

[smkie]

Bubbat..have you ever had an animal put something in your head like that? it isn't like words or pictures, just a "knowing". It blew my mind when little john said what he did..we both had exactly the same message. I knew once that something was going to run across the road in the fog..slowed down to a silly 10 miles an hour, just crawling along because of a stupid "feeling" and then a deer jumped right over the hood of my cvcc honda..I have worked with many animals..3 kennels, one animal warehouse, and the kc zoo..that is besides living on a farm for a year. the number of times i have had a feeling like Rielly's farewell i could count on one hand. It haunts me because as i have grown older..the more i am sure it is us that cannot hear. I am sure of it in my heart. the ex said Rielly was a wizard, i say he is an old soul.

[CreatureTeacher]

One of the most wonderful things about dogs is their ability to inspire empathy. There is no tragedy in life like losing a dog, because dogs alone see nothing but the tragedy of losing us.

There are some very specific unifying truths you find when you've met and loved hundreds of dogs. One of them I've noticed: There is something special about dogs named Riley. One of those beautiful unities of Dogdom; Rileys are unique people in their own right, no matter what breed they might be. I think Rileys would be Rileys even if we named them something else, which we don't because they are so clearly Rileys. Beautiful dogs with hearts of gold. They are each like a unique star in a field of stars.

I know your Riley is still with you, Smkie. Rileys stay.