My sweet sweet friend...I can hardly type this. Riley came into my life in 1996!! He lived a long and hopefully very happy life. I got to share 16 wonderful years with him.
He was the definition of a neurotic dog!
I loved this dog very much and will greatly miss him. I am saddened when I think about his last 2 years with us. As the house got busier, he got older. Unfortunately he preferred to stay upstairs and was a bit neglected as we lived our lives.
The day before I took Riley to the vet I decided to take pictures of us with him. I am crying like a baby right now...dunno why I had to type that. But looking at these pictures...as hard as it was, I am so glad we did it.
He was a beautiful dog and so amazingly smart.
I wish my kids could have seen that side of him. By the time Lilly was old enough to play Riley was not very active anymore.
Looking at these pictures is hard, he looks so happy. Only someone who has ever had to make the decision to put a pet to sleep would truly understand. It is the most agonizing thing ever!
I waited and waited for a sign that it was time. I waited for him to get sick or be obviously uncomfortable. That never happened. I knew the time was coming to say goodbye but the decision was killing me. When the day came, as heartbreaking as it was, it was so peaceful. A man at the vet had made me feel so good about Riley. He told me that 16 years for a dog is amazing, he must have been well loved and happy to live that long!
I am truly blessed to have shared so many years with him!
