Walking…somewhere, over the rainbow!
It happened quickly. He came back from his evening walk after a good dinner, and as the boarding staff were preparing to put him to bed, they noticed that instead of walking around in his suite and taking in the smells of the room as he normally did, he had sat himself down at the entrance of the room and his breathing had become labored. Upon noticing the breathing difficulties and dilating pupils, they took him to emergency where he was announced DOA (Dead on Arrival).
Rustam was born on March 15th 2014 and chose to adopt us (he literally jumped into my wife’s arms when we looked at him the first time) in May of 2014, just 8 weeks old.
He had a friendly disposition and a charming face that dazzled people on walks or excursions. Yet, his wolf like features and his 95 pound heft were enough to give pause to approaching people and to respect his space. My wife braved her allergies to hug and kiss him and even though, he was not fond of being hugged, he had grown accustomed to them from us to a point where he would sit still waiting for us to release him from the gentle chokehold.
While friendly to other dogs and people, he was a proper guardian of his backyard domain against uninvited intruders such as racoons, skunks, cats and squirrels. His real subject of fascination were birds. It probably spoke to his own desire to grow wings and fly. Sometimes after sunset, I would take him to a nearby open field where he chased birds to his heart’s content for hours.
Rustam also had a real case of aquaphobia. He hated getting wet and when we jumped into the pool on a hot summer day, he would make himself scarce by going to the other side of the backyard for the duration of our splashing activities. Confoundingly enough, for some reason, he loved the beach and could run around in the sand all day.
Rustam had a high tolerance for pain. Even when he was prodded and probed at his regular exams or took tumbles down the hills on one of his many adventures, he never complained. He didn’t bother anyone for his needs except when an extra nudge was needed for us to take him for his walks. Even in his death throes, he chose to go quietly. My one regret is not being with him when he took his final stroll across the rainbow bridge. In those final moments, he was probably looking for some comfort with familiar faces that were not there.
Anatole France once said, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
Rustam! Thank you for awakening it for me!