Goodbye Ranger

We lost Ranger two days before Christmas. He had developed a radial nerve issue over the last year, likely caused by a nerve root tumor. We kept him as comfortable as possible, and then it was time to let him go.

I pulled Ranger from our local municipal shelter ten years ago. He had been in the system for months, and was even pulled and then returned by a local "no kill" shelter. I placed him with friends who had been looking for a cattledog of their own. They owned a small shop, and Ranger got to go to work everyday with his people.

 A few years ago his people had babies, and it took some time to balance everything out. Ranger was extremely noise sensitive, and kids are noisy. Eventually everyone got along, Ranger learned to handle a certain amount of kid noise, and the children learned a wonderful lesson in empathy.

Having kids means there will be less time for your dogs, but it's important to remember that the lack of time is temporary. Kids grow up, and eventually they become people who will also pay attention to the dogs. You'll need to take precautions to keep everyone safe while your kids learn how to treat animals with respect, but it's an incredibly valuable lesson for them.

Pets help children to learn empathy, and I think Ranger was particularly gifted there. I'm so glad I helped him get out of the shelter, and delighted that I could be a part of his life up until the end. Rest well, buddy. You earned it.