Our Riley

by Lianne
(Nova Scotia)

We had to say goodbye to our best friend Riley on April 9, 2009 after 14 wonderful years.

Riley was a black lab/collie mix and he came into my life at 6 weeks old, and was the most loving little man I have ever known or will ever know.

When I met my husband, Riley was 5 and was not overly fond of Pat. He would sit between us on the couch and stare at me with "Who is this guy?" written on his face. It didn't take long before Riley adopted Pat into his heart and Pat learned the meaning of 'Man's best friend'.

Throughout the years Riley was the best friend we could have ever asked for. No matter what had happened in our lives, he was always there for us.

When he was diagnosed with a liver disease in July 2006, it completely devestated us. There was nothing they could do for him and he was given a short time to live. A month later, we adopted Camryn, a yellow lab and the source of extending Riley's life. They absolutely adored each other. She was a distraction for his illness, he was her teacher as he taught her everything she knows.

Early in the morning on April 9, Riley had a stroke and couldn't stand without falling. We agreed that we would never let our little buddy suffer, and it was obvious now he was. We made the decision that it was time to say goodbye, the hardest decision we have ever made. Riley did not like going to the vet, so the vet came to us. Riley's passing was very peaceful and we know he is in heaven.

Now we need time and strength to help us heal our broken hearts. We will always miss you Riley, the dog who taught us what true love, friendship and loyalty really means. We love you so much, Riley, we can't put it into words.

I will use a quote from this site "Born a dog, died a gentleman." That's our boy, our sweet, sweet boy...

We love you Smiley Riley....
Mom, Dad and Camryn
xoxoxo