My Rueben.

I hardly know where to start, I cannot believe Rueben is gone. Rueben. My Rueben. With the cancer he had we knew we were on borrowed time, but I think this past week just tipped the scales for him. The stress of the attack, the injuries, all the additional medication.  We went to Seaside on Saturday and he had a ball playing with his tiny friend Piggles, eating cheese, chicken, crackers, lots of pets and hugs for my guy! But Sunday - we could tell he was starting to work and the swelling in his abdomen was worse. Everytime I sat he moved to be near me, he was so quiet and sad - but he tried. Everytime we spoke to him, said his name that tail wagged, his happy face for a brief moment but....

I knew it was time. 

The funny thing is the first couple of weeks after Molly passed I would look at him and think he wouldn't be with us too much longer - no, I don't think I'm psychic or I can predict the future, it was because they had been together so long and so perfectly it was hard to imagine Boo without The Boss. He was quieter after she left us - but still happy. That tail of his wagged the day away, even if you just went to get the mail when you returned Reuben greeted you like you had just come into port from sailing around the world. Loved to snuggle and spoon - early morning David and Boo had a routine that he would sit up in bed with his coffee and Rueben layed on his back with his head against David's chest - it was his greatest joy to start each day with the human he loved best in the universe. And he loved David with all of his fiber - and all of it was returned and more. 

Reuben was born happy and hyper, rarely destructive. He had one incident as a puppy, we had just started keeping him out of the crate while we were out and he had been so good! But I came in and our other dog at the time ran up the stairs - I walked into the livingroom into a sea of ?? foam, fabric, wood? and Rueben. He had taken my brand new wingback chair down to the frame - I got a hold of his collar and quietly put him outside so I wouldn't kill him. I was so mad!! Yet....greatly amused. Rueben was the most cheerful, nonaggressive dog we've ever owned - he never met anyone he didn't like and everyone was a friend. We often laughed that he was a Guest Slut since anyone staying overnight he felt it was his duty to sleep with them and maybe share the pillow. He was the sweetest dog we have ever owned. 

On Monday I called our vet, at 2 pm we arrived - I just wanted to put him back in the car and go home, just for a few more days. Years. There was a blanket on the floor so we could sit with him - it's a quiet room away from everything else. The vete gave him anesthesia first - like with Molly all the stress just flowed off of him, he fell asleep and then as we held him and kissed him goodbye he left us. This is so hard - the house is so quiet now with no boisterous dogs bouncing around, no one eying me for a biscuit. Obviously I know dogs die. I understand that the life span is so much shorter than ours and if you wish to be a dog owner you'll be saying good bye a few times before you yourself pass on. But some dogs are harder to let go of - Molly and Rueben were two of the best dogs I've ever had the honor of being thier friend, companion and family. I'm sure Molly has been waiting for Rueben to continue thier adventures. I hope they're running the elysian  fields together, the sun on thier backs through the tall grass. It was an honor my beloved Rueben, it was an honor.