Ripple’s was the best mother ever, to the pups, to me…
I usually try to stay light-hearted in my WaterDog Blog posts but I can’t do that this time…
Ripple died on Jan 18, 2013. Her death was sudden but fortunately pain-free as far as we could tell: she was sleeping on her back, let out a long 10-12 second “yowl”, and by the time we reached her to give comfort (we thought she was having a bad dream) she was dead.
As I’ve said many times before, Ripple was my “perfect dog” – she loved me completely and (I hope that) she felt complete love in return. I think she did.
I want to tell a little story that exemplifies Ripple’s love of her family and, in this instance, me in particular:
On Nov 14th, 2012 Ripple birthed a litter of 5 pups and, over the next 8 weeks, cared for those pups with patience and devotion so extreme that it can only be classified as “motherly”. She even gave a little warning growl when someone she didn’t know got near the pups – something I’d never seen Ripple do before and was, quite frankly, a little startled to see. It wasn’t a fear or dislike of people; it was an expression of her devotion to those pups and, from the first time it happened, we had to be cautious when new people arrived at the house.
On Dec 23rd, just one day after I’d started my holiday vacation (figures!) I got violently ill. Some sort of stomach flu or food poisoning may have been the cause; regardless, I was vomiting and delirious. Occasionally I would “wake up” for a few minutes and, every time I did, I noticed that Ripple was laying against my back. This went on for about 3 days until I finally felt better. Afterwards, I was told that Ripple would check on her (sometimes crying) pups, look them over and decide they could wait, and then hop on the bed to be with me. Think about that: Ripple chose me over her pups – she took care of the pups when they absolutely needed it but understood that I was in worse circumstances and chose to take care of me first.
I’m crushed. I’m absolutely despondent over this – my dog chose me and – somehow – I missed whatever signs she gave me to indicate her impending doom. I didn’t take care of her completely and she died. I know down deep… I’ve been told over and over… there is nothing I could have done, and she didn’t show any symptoms. Yet, still, I somehow didn’t show the respect and care she deserved to keep her with us.
I hope I never have to write a post like this again. Next time, if there is a next time, we’ll have doggy checkups and bloodwork done routinely throughout whelping and weaning and afterwards. We have Splash now – Ripple’s daughter – and I so want to keep this beautiful line going. I’m head over heels in love with Splash and terrified to breed her ; yet, if she turns out good enough I know that we’ll want to continue this line.
Goodbye perfect Ripple – you made a Splash and then left. I’m honored that you were part of our family.
