Stories of our little angels contest - The life of Rusty
Contest Link: https://peakd.com/hive-196708/@hive-196708/stories-of-our-little-angels-contest-200-hive-prizes
Oh wow, what a subject to be introduced to this community with!
Those that know me from Steemit will know just how passionate I am about my Bulldogs (Bullies). My whole life is designed and run around them, making them comfortable, healthy and happy pooches.
When I came across this contest, I really didn't think I could write about the loss of my beloved fur babies as I still get so emotional when I even mention their names, but I am pushing myself to share with you all to show just how much I loved and still love my departed pets.
Last year, I lost 2 of my babies. Rusty was 14 years old and was an English Cocker Spaniel, yes that's right, I own other breeds too 😀
I also lost my special girl, Ellie Bear, my 4 year old Bulldog; but I can't write about Ellie yet. It is way too soon to even think about the awful events that surrounded her death and breaks my heart when I think of her. Hopefully one day I will be able to come to terms with it enough to be able to share with you what happened properly.
But for now, I want to celebrate the wonderful life of Rusty and just how much joy she brought to me over the years.
I rescued Rusty when she was just 6 weeks old from a puppy farm, living in terrible conditions. She was one of multiple breeds, caged up on a farm yard. With no parents in sight, just crates and crates of dogs lined up outside for sale, it felt just like you were shopping for shoes at a shopping mall.
I was so horrified by what I saw. I thought by taking her out of the horrible conditions, I was helping to rescue her. I have since learned more about puppy farming and understand that all I did was provide revenue for the puppy farmers to continue doing this and perpetuate the cycle. But at the time, I wasn't aware of the awful trades that still happen today in this country, and thought I was helping.
She was a beautiful and happy girl, her tail always wagging to show you just how happy she was to see you.
I took her everywhere with me. We went on holidays, shopping, walking in woodlands and over farmland. There was nowhere that she didn't go with me. Her favorite place in the world was up at the lagoons close to where I live. She was a true water baby, living up to her ancestral breeding as a working dog.
Cocker Spaniels typically suffer with their ears and ear infections. Rusty was no exception. I must have taken her for treatment at least 4 times a year for the first 8 years of her life! By then, she was completely deaf due to infections and scar tissue, and had to have her ear canals removed, but that didn't bother Rusty.
I taught her to react to hand signals, rather than voice commands. This was great! We had a way of communicating without having to shout across a field. If I raised my hand in the air, she knew she had to sit and wait for me!
This worked well most of the time... unless there was a particularly interesting squirrel that she could smell 😂
She was a true companion dog and loved to be on your knee, soaking up the love. She wasn't too fond of the other dogs, so she had special treatment and was allowed to sleep on my bed upstairs in her older years, so that she could be comfortable and get some peace and quiet!
Last year, she was diagnosed with bladder cancer and sadly passed away only a month later, but she had a fabulous 14 years by my side at every moment. I will miss her always and forever xxx
RIP Rusty <3
Special Mentions: Thank you to those who have supported me coming back to blogging on the Hive platform, I am looking forward to making new friends and starting new beginnings!
@livinguktaiwan @steevc @slobberchops @article61 @ryivhnn @meesterboom @teamhumble @nickyhavey @karenb54 @sherylneil @crosheille to name just a few!
Much love, C and the bullies xx
It's great that you were able to give her such a good life. The commercial exploitation of animals is a big stain on humanity and one of the reasons I don't eat meat. I know people say Brits are sentimental about their animals, but when you see how smart they are you have to feel for them. Unfortunately puppy farms may have profited from recent demand for dogs. Is much done about them?
There have been a couple of new laws introduced recently. Lucy's law was supposed to be the big one that would help combat puppy farms, however I have seen first hand that people get around this with lies and loopholes. It sickens me. If you quote Lucy's Law to people who are going against it, they plead ignorance and claim they aren't a 'proper breeder' so the rules don't apply! Absolute nonsense. There just isn't enough man-power to police it properly and yet, there has been a huge surge in demand for puppies since the lockdown began. I fear for all the dogs that will ultimately be abandoned once everyone returns to normal life again. I still do rescue work and will be fund raising in September if the lockdown is lifted enough for us to hold an outdoor event. But I fear it is not enough and the Law should be doing more than just lining the governments' pockets with irrelevant licenses and laws that can be easily bypassed.
I think it's a shame they scrapped dog licences. It's a responsibility taking on a dog. Most people will take that on board, but others don't care and there should be consequences.
Its great to see you on here 😁
R.I.P Rusty, what a beautiful pup, i am glad she got to live a happy life, she felt loved and that's down to you. I wish i could save all of them, breaks my heart thinking about the ones who don't have loving homes. They are angels and some people don't deserve them. 💗
Absolutely agree with you! They are amazing souls and we should cherish them. I am so careful who I allow my pups to go and live with. They have to pass a full questionnaire and home check before they even get to see them! ❤️
I think I would be the same, i refuse to go on holiday as don't want them kennels are with anyone else. If there with me then i know they're safe. Life would be dreadful without them. 💗
I been hearing quite a lot about these puppy farming recently, how the scoundrels steal bitches and get them to breed a lot of puppies before getting rid of them when they're too old. That is just so awful. So glad Rusty had some very good years with you, no wonder you miss her so much.
I really do miss her everyday, both her and Ellie Bear ❤️
There have been a few high profile police raids recently where they seized something in the region of 80+ stolen dogs!!! Imagine the 80 families who have been out of their minds with worry and the poor souls who didn't know where they were and why they had been taken away from their families! It doesn't bare thinking about! We have security in our house, in the garden, on the front of the house and I still get paranoid about someone stealing my babies. It is so sad 😞
The only up side, is hopefully they will be returned to their loving homes now they have ben recovered and won't be too traumatized by the whole thing
Rest in peace rusty. Happy to hear your wonderful memories together, memories that will be forever in your heart.
Welcome back my friend.
Thank you so much 😊❤️
She was a beauty. So good you got the chance to share with her so many years
Thank you 😊 yes She brought me many years of happiness
What a wonderful tribute to such a beautiful dog! So glad to see she lived happily with the one who loved her. It’s amazing that how you taught her hand signals in order for you to still be able to communicate. You took really great care of her and gave her a good life. ❤️
It is really wonderful to have you back. You know I fell in love with your posts and photos a long time ago, you’ll always have my support ~
😘
Thank you, it is fantastic to be back! What makes it even better is knowing that friends from before are still here and thriving! ❤️
Yes, I am still here learning and growing. It has been quite a journey and I am happy with how things are currently going (working with other leaders and supporting communities).
I myself took a half year away to refresh and take a break from everything. It was really helpful as I came back excited to get back to work ~
❤️
Hola, has contado una hermosa historia, ciertamente los Cocker sufren enfermedades en los oídos con mucha frecuencia, yo llegué a tener 3, pero eso fue hace muchos muchos años y no conservé ninguna fotografía de ellos, por lo que no participaré en el concurso, pero me hiciste recordarlos.
Ver a tu perrita fue volver a ver a mi querido Ramón, con ese color avellana sedoso que me encantaba acariciar.
Gracias por atreverte a contar tu historia. Lamento tus perdidas, momentos que sucederán pero que deseamos que se extiendan. Ojala los perritos durarán más tiempo.
Ahh puppy farms. They're things I wouldn't feel bad stealing from.
I am with you there, 100%
It's the real tragedy of pets and I have felt it myself a number of times in my life. This is the downside of having these lovely animals in our lives... you are almost certainly going to have to watch them slowly fade away. I'm sorry for your loss but just imagine all the wonderful times you and Rusty spent together! It's a truly wonderful story :)
Thank you so much 😊 I was truly blessed to have her in my life
Hi, @beautifulbullies, Rusty reminded me of Wendy, my pet who is now an angel and who I will tell you about in my participation. Rusty was very beautiful, keep in your heart the experiences you shared over 14 years, they will be the best way to overcome the pain of her departure. Greetings, I embrace you with love.
Thank you so much, yes she meant the world to me. I can’t wait to read about Wendy ❤️
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