a little over 9 years ago, my husband and i changed our lives irrevocably- we adopted a retired racing greyhound named "crazy cliff". we renamed him "archie". he loved us so much, but my husband was his favorite.
this past saturday, our lives were changed again, when we took archie in to the vet for the last time.
archie broke our hearts so many times. when i brought him home, we stopped at a pet store on the way to buy supplies- crate, bed, collar. at one point, i realized that archie had stopped behind me and wasn't moving. i turned around to find him with a huge bone- probably a cow femur- in his mouth, a hopeful look in his eyes, and slowly wagging tail, as if to say "please, mama, can i have this?" i started crying, and said "of course you can have it, big guy". he carried it through the store, into the car, and into the house, which he was seeing for the first time. he walked into the living room, dropped the bone on the floor, and never touched it again. i think he just wanted to know if he could have it. the first 3 nights we had him at home, his crate was in our bedroom, and he cried at night. all 3 nights, my husband got out of bed, sat on the floor with him, and scratched his ears until he calmed down. i'll never forget the sound of my husband quietly whispering "it's ok, you're home, we love you." after 3 nights, archie slept happily in our room. after 6 nights, he was in the bed with us, snuggled up between us. and that's where he stayed for the next 8.5 years.
over the next 8 years, archie went camping with us, went to the beach with us, to dog parks and visited our families in various parts of the country. he was always a well-behaved house guest, and we were always told "bring him back any time." although he was a retired racing dog with a large prey-drive, he never chased smalller dogs or cats. but, beware any bunny foolish enough to show his face at the park! the one time archie did manage to corner a bunny, he froze, and looked at us both as if to say "uuum, now what?"
archie had a unique way of welcoming us home after work. he would race us to the bedroom, jump up onto our bed, and wait for us. when we got to the bed, he would jump up on his hind legs, put his front legs over our shoulders, and lay his head on one of our shoulders. then he would let out a big sigh, and we'd scratch his ears until his legs wobbled. he did this to both of us, one after the other. it was his way of saying "i missed you!"
our old man went to the rainbow bridge this saturday. we were both with him, and my husband held him in his arms as he went to sleep for the last time. archie was 13.5 years old, and had stomach cancer. he had stopped eating, and even all of our coaxing with chicken, beef, pasta, couldn't get any weight to stay on him. he was 56 lbs- his normal weight was 70. he was blind in one eye, and his back legs shook from the injury that ended his racing career.
we love him, and his absence has left a silent hole in our hearts. sadly, our little baby boy will never remember the big dog that licked his chin when we brought him home from the hospital. he will only have stories and pictures.
but our old man enriched our lives in so many ways.
sleep peacefully, archie. we love you, you're home, you're safe.
Sam Dunbar and Brent Davis
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