Raleigh Bear

Matthew,

I'm so sorry to tell you that you will never get to meet your Raleigh Bear. Daddy and I just got back from the vet and the news was not good. Raleigh has cancer of the spleen and it has spread throughout his body. Daddy and I brought him home today so we could spend one last weekend with him, maybe take him swimming and play ball a bit, but we have to go back on Monday and we won't have him after that.

Raleigh enjoying the yard this June...he loves his yard and the ball!

My heart hurts so much right now. Raleigh has always been such a dear, sweet dog. He had a rough life before we were lucky enough to adopt him, and he helped heal my heart some after we lost Random. He has always loved food, pets and playing ball or swimming, and now he just really doesn't show interest in food. He's breathing heavily and though the doctor said though he's not in pain, he's certainly not comfortable. So, we're going to love on him and feed him steaks all weekend and see if he's up to swimming a little bit.

Raleigh on the deck today...looking tired, but still happy and eager to please.

This is hard! The vet suggested we just leave him there today, because there was nothing that can be done and it's just going to get worse. We just are going to have such a hard time on Monday because as uncomfortable as we know he is, he still is wagging his tail for us and wants to be near us. Making decisions that you know are for the best isn't always easy, but they are a part of life. My hope for you is that when you come to these types of decisions, you will have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you've made all previous decisions in good faith and conscience, and directed by your moral compass--and that allows you some calm.

We adopted Raleigh in January of 2005 from the Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue. He was named Snorkel, and we couldn't understand why. Having a penchant for dog names having some significance, we changed it to Raleigh Snorkel--seeing as he came from Raleigh. Well, sort of. He actually was *rescued* from Raleigh but he was saved from a pound in Onslow County--where we lived!!! We drove all that way, but it was meant to be!

Raleigh's referral picture...he's always been very handsome!

He's checking out his new house...fresh after a haircut!

Our Random was not really sure of why we brought this new dog into the house, and honestly, Random was not the nicest to Raleigh in the beginning. He seemed to think Raleigh was sort of a 'dumb blonde' but that never phased Raleigh. He just grinned and gallumped around the house and loved every second of life. Eventually, Raleigh and Random learned that they were ok with being brothers, and I loved having my sweet boys. Raleigh lives for food, his ball and pets, and has such a gentle and calm spirit...most of the time.

Random seriously questioning our decision making skills...he couldn't believe Raleigh had the audacity to be so, well...goofy!



"Seriously?" Random always seemed to say...(this was our Easter picture that year!)

Raleigh was living the good life and Random was just thinking we were NUTS!

This was our Christmas card that year...

At Grandma's...finally accepting that the big goofy bear isn't *all* that bad...

Raleigh likes his ball a bit too much sometimes. When Raleigh is hunkered over his ball, it's best to just NOT mess with him. He'll "smile" at you if you do. "Smiling" comes from your cousin Ryan--who was making some gestures at Raleigh that Raleigh didn't like, but Ryan thought the raised lip was a smile, not a snarl! One of the things we've noticed lately is that Raleigh doesn't even seem to be too concerned with his ball anymore, and it's pretty easy for either me or Daddy to get it away from him.

Raleigh "Smiling" at Dixie...and she has never been daunted! He ONLY gave it up for her!

After Random died and we brought Dixie home, Raleigh really was concerned about what to do with that little furball. She was a spitfire, and bless his heart, he has always been so good about tolerating her! Up until recently, Dixie has been the only creature on earth that could ever take take a ball from Raleigh or get away with half of the stuff she does! He has come to love Dixie and she's going to be so sad without her big brother.

Dixie has never been afraid to play and Raleigh was a little unsure about this little girl!

Dixie desperately wishing she had her big brother's ball...

"WHEW...she makes me tired!"

Raleigh has a sweet heart and is a love. I am so sorry that he will not be *your* Raleigh Bear, as we have been so blessed to have him be ours.

One day, sadly, we'll have to have this conversation for your Dixie Belle, and you'll know that I will truly understand how your heart hurts. The worst part of pet ownership is this part...when you realize that he won't be with you anymore and you'll miss him so. Take comfort in this--the time you have is so worth it, though. The memories and joy and love and dedication that comes from having a pet (and especially a dog!) are *so* worth it.

Dixie's always loved her brother...

One of Daddy's favorite memories of Raleigh Bear...he loved that day with Uncle Kevin!