Jan 03 2010

Gone

Published by at 12:37 pm under Dogs,Rita,Schatzi

ritaflowers
Rita on the banks of the Ohio Canal

Yesterday, I was deeply saddened to learn that the Lovely Rita is gone.

She was at least fifteen years old, a ripe old age for canines, but it still made my heart ache.

All day, as I ran errands with my sister (the vet for Schatzi’s thyroid pills; the Feed & Pet; Rite Aid; the bank; visiting Meg’s partner in pit bulls, Monica, at her store; the Safeway; Harvest Market), my mind was running on parallel tracks: one for my tasks, and the other for Rita. I was flooded with memories.

Faithful readers will remember that Rita lived with me for about three years, when her Actual Owner’s life was kind of tumultuous. She was an amazing companion, and traveled with me often. I know everyone thinks their dog is beautiful, but the Lovely Rita really was. People actually came out of their houses and leaned out of their cars to tell me how beautiful she was. Everyone in the neighborhood knew her and loved her, even people I didn’t know. She was the Queen of the Dog Park.

ritaaudrey
What is that thing?

When I moved to Oakland, I made the difficult and painful decision to return her to her owner. It just about broke my heart, but I know I did the right thing for her. She would have been miserable there, and almost certainly would not have lived as long (or happily) as she did.

Last night, my sister and I toasted the Lovely Rita, and I tried hard not to cry. I remarked that it makes me wonder why we get pets at all, since we know they’re going to die before us, and it’s going to be horrible. Yet we keep doing it to ourselves. Megan said that it was because they make our lives better and happier.

ritabed
Rita relaxing

In honor of Rita (and in keeping with my new year’s resolution to categorize), I’ll go through my old posts and put all the Rita-related ones into the “Dogs” category. Though perhaps she should have a category of her own, since she was always in a class by herself.

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9 responses so far

9 Responses to “Gone”

  1. Alisonon 03 Jan 2010 at 12:51 pm

    Oh. So sorry. 🙁

  2. Pascale Soleilon 03 Jan 2010 at 12:59 pm

    I’m so sorry. I remember the lovely Rita.

  3. Joyon 03 Jan 2010 at 1:58 pm

    So glad that you have such good memories of this beautiful dog… and photos.
    I must admit that losing these companions does make one think twice about having another one in the fold…..

    jx

  4. Jenniferon 03 Jan 2010 at 4:01 pm

    Sorry to hear about lovely Rita. Isn’t it nice to have all those wonderful memories.

  5. Mikeon 03 Jan 2010 at 4:12 pm

    Sending hugs in memory of Rita.

  6. Guyon 04 Jan 2010 at 4:26 am

    Sorry to hear of your lost, animals make wonderful friends and become member of the family she was a beautiful animal.

  7. suzyon 04 Jan 2010 at 11:44 am

    Thanks, everyone. She was special. I am lucky to have had time with her and such happy memories.

  8. Amberon 04 Jan 2010 at 5:33 pm

    *hugs* I am so sorry to hear about Rita. She was a true lady. I’m so glad she able to touch so many people’s lives.

  9. LisaBon 04 Jan 2010 at 10:17 pm

    Oh no! That’s so sad. You and Rita were lucky to find and befriend each other. Amazing how much these furry creatures can get to us, eh?