Rags 2/23/04 - 11/20/2016
My girl Rags passed away on Sunday morning. For close to a week her breathing had gotten shallow. Other than that she was still eating not her normal amount but close to it if I put some gravy in it. She had bit having a bit of trouble getting up due to inflammation in her front legs from old dog warts which had been managed very well with Turmeric in her food. Though when she turned her nose up at her food she was refusing the turmeric. Saturday night I sat with her for over an hour, petting her, brushing her and talking to her. I let her know it was okay if she was ready to let go. I knew how much she missed her partner in crime Pepsi, who passed away on Nov 19, 2012. Before bed I wrapped her in a blanket since she had stopped sleeping on the couch. I made sure the blanket was under her elbows so she was cushioned from the tile floor a bit and I kissed her on top of her nose. When I got up on Sunday she still had the blanket on her but had moved to the other side of the room. I said, "Come on Mama, time to go out!" She struggled to get up so I asked my son to help me get her up. We got her up and as soon as we helped her out the back door she gained her balance. She walked to the edge of the pool where she used to spend so much time with all of us. I knew she was okay to walk. I patted her on the head, told her she was a good girl. I walked back to the patio to sit down. I saw her walk over by the Orange Tree and she laid down. She has been spending a lot of time outside lately enjoying the cool breeze and the sunshine. I figured I would go and get her some water and bring her food to her since it was so nice out. First I grabbed a water bowl, filled out and walked outside. When I got up close, I realized she wasn't moving. She had passed away in one of her favorite spots in the yard. I got down on the grass with her and kissed her nose and told her I loved her. Rags never suffered from incontinence in her final days. Other than needing a little bit of help up for about 10 days she was normal herself. She kept her dignity and went out on her own terms. She was a rescue when we got there she was just about to turn 2 years old. She was a bit nutty for sure. We were her fourth home in the first two years of her life. She fit in here she was family. She would've been 13 in February. I thought she was going to make it to 13 too. She was always VERY bossy and ruled this house from the day she got here. She never showed weakness around Newman. Rags was ALWAYS food agressive! Meal times were a time of barking. Newman would get fed in his crate and Rags in the kitchen and little Lacey had her food bowl and you're my husband's desk in the dining room. Newman would bark at Rags from his crate, even though he couldn't see her through the wall. She would always bark back and stick her head around the corner and would bark looking at him. LOL! When she was finished I would send her outside and then Newman would follow. If he got too close to her on the patio after she had just finished eating she would chase him back into the house. The two of them were really funny what to watch. I still can't believe how quiet it is without her. She had dementia for the last couple years which actually mellowed her out and she became super sweet. RIP Rags, we will miss you! February 24, 2004 - November 20, 2016 |
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I remember Rags and your others! Oh, you did have a time with her,  She had a great home with your family and did her sheepdog job of loving and caring for her uprights. RIP Rags! |
Sorry for all the typos! Been a long couple of days and my phone loves to change my words. Smart phones making people everywhere look stupid!  Thank you, Susan!  You remember her antics. She was a wild child for sure. In the past year she would run when she felt it was necessary like to chase a mockingbird off the wall but the no longer participated in the Sheepie 500, which was never the same without Pepsi. Though she loved watching Newman and Elvis run it and would often get in their way to tell them off. I don't think I posted about it but Elvis had to be put down in March. After living with us for over 3 1/2 years he decided he wanted Newman dead. He attacked him and he didn't fight back. He had no idea why Elvis was acting this way. I was completely shocked the first time it happened, I didn't think it would happen again but it did, that time Rags lept over Newman to get in between and Elvis bit her. Then he got Newman again. For no reason at all! Newman had 10 wounds, Elvis one. Newman finally bit Elvis when Elvis grabbed his ear. My husband, myself and my father all got bit during these incidents. He was fine with the uprights. He would just literally go insane when he saw Newman and they had lived together as best buddies for years. He had to be quarantined due to his bites to us. During the quarantine we kept him in the pool area. We thought that would be a great location as he couldn't get to Newman. We didn't think Newman would walk right up to the fence and get bit through it, but it happened. We had gone out to lunch and came home and Newman was missing a huge chunk of flesh on his back. I don't know what caused Elvis to go beserk but he did and he was too much of a liability for any rescue so he had to be put down. While we were filling out the paperwork he tried to attack another dog.  So it's just Lacey and Newman now. |
| Of course I remember Rags. I'm sorry for your loss. |
| I am so sorry for your loss but at the same time I love that she found a forever home with you and your family. |
| Thank you Paula and Kim. I am so thankful she passed away the way she did. When her breathing got shallow about 10 days ago I realized she was getting old and wasn't going to live forever. When we rescued Newman 3 + years ago (which hubby wasn't too happy about at the time, he said, "Now watch, she'll live forever!"). She had been trucking along with no end in sight. Never sick! Though last February, the weekend before my back surgery, we had gone camping in our trailer. We left in the afternoon and took Lacey with us. Newman, Rags and Elvis stayed home with a dog sitter coming to feed them. When we arrived home the next day Rags was her usual bouncy self but by that evening she was not even attempting to get up. I thought it was something major, like a stroke. Of course it was a Sunday. I gave her a tramadol that had been Newman's for his rear dewclaw removal and made plans to take her to the Vet the next morning. I had to put her on a blanket and drag her out to the car. I didn't think I'd be able to lift her because my back was really bad, but I somehow got her in. When we got to the Vet she jumped out of the car and was walking almost normally. Hmm! The Vet checked her over and asked to keep her for a couple of hours. He called less than two hours later saying I could pick her up. I honestly didn't think she would come home! I picked her up and was informed she had old dog warts, which were no big deal. Though she had licked them to the point of major inflammation causing walking issues. She was sent home with Loxicam and was right as rain by the time I had my surgery a couple days later. She only needed a couple of doses but the Vet prescribed more knowing I was having surgery and would not be able to come back for a few months. She had a flare up again in September, I think. Two more doses of Loxicam and she was back to herself again. That time the inflammation had been from chasing Newman. A few of the warts were on her paw and she must've licked them again causing inflammation. She had been fine until @ Nov 10th when she started having trouble getting up. Though as soon as she did, she was fine. Then the shallow breathing started and I knew this was not her being sick, this was her body giving out. I prayed she didn't die on the same date that Pepsi did and was going to wait until she was ready and let me know she had given up. She didn't. Her leaving us at home was probably the best way to go. It was a lot easier than having to make the decision for her and a lot easier for me to deal with emotionally. She is the first dog I had owned that went that way and while I am hurting it had brought me peace knowing she went on her terms. I adored that poop eating, silly girl. |
| I'm so sorry to hear that Rags had to leave you. I remember you posting about the Sheepie 500 antics.  |
| Am so sorry about Raggs leaving, but as you say she went on her own terms and that is she went surrender by love and her favorite places , with you around . I am sure she will be looking after you from the rainbow bridge. |
| Ellisa, I certainly remember your clan. So sorry to hear about Rags. Never easy. And I'm sorry about Elvis. Even though he was having issues, it still must have been very hard. |
| Elissa~~~ I am so sorry to hear about Rags...You shared many stories about her, and I enjoyed hearing about them. I was comforted to know that you allowed her the time to leave on her own terms. I wish I could have done that with all of mine, but it wasn't meant to be. Run painfree to Rainbow Bridge, sweet Rags. There will be many to welcome you home. And Elissa? Please know that we are all here for you, we all have been where you are right now. My prayer is that you find peace in the memories you shared and the adventures Rags had while she was here. Hugs and Love... Val |
| I'm sorry for your loss, E. Quote: She would've been 13 in February. I thought she was going to make it to 13 too. When we lost Mulligan, that's what was so shocking -- he was spectacularly healthy at 12 1/2, he was juuuust starting to slow a bit, I was sure he was going to be a sweet old man until 15, his sudden loss hurt so bad. |
| Of course I remember you and your gang miss E. I am so sorry for your loss. It is so hard and so unfair that they have such short lives. Shellie |
| Thanks all, I really appreciate your messages. It is amazing how quite it is here without the big mouth. Rags LOVED to bark. I think she liked to hear herself bark. She barked herself through every meal. Take a few bites, bark to make sure everyone knew she had her food and you better back off. Almost every picture of her she was either not looking at me or barking. There were only a few really good pictures of her from over the years due to this. One of those pics made Rags famous. Wendy from Sheepiedoodles did an amazing watercolor of Rags which was made into all sorts of items including fabric with her image on it. Pretty cool! Hi Mark, I hope you are well. Yes, losing Elvis was very hard and what happened was so unexpected. The boys, Newman and Elvis were always by my side. If one wasn't laying across me the other was. They were close with each other as well. Where ever one was the other was. Elvis was so smart and his antics had us laughing on a daily basis. He was one of the happiest dogs too. He was ultra lazy! He hated mornings and he was never in a rush to get off the couch and go outside. Then when he did get going, watch out! He would zoom around the yard leaving the Sheepies to eat his dust. I still cannot believe what happened here. I had a rescue involved but after he attacked Newman through the fence I knew he couldn't be rehomed. What if he had a new home and decided he didn't like the dog on the other side of the fence from where he lived? Or if the person decided to walk him which I had the rescue was a no no but they put needs work on the leash. I would be responsible and I couldn't. If he had been on a leash and encountered an intact male that was loose or even one on a leash that the person didn't have control of it would've been bad. There was one incident that almost occurred at the Vet because the other person with a pitbull on a chain, seriously like a big chain but with a collar that was WAY to large slipped his collar and came near Elvis. Elvis wanted this dog dead and I assumed that each time he encountered an intact dog it would set him back to his mentality of having to prptect himself which was his life before he found his way to the Shelter. Elvis was one of the first Duroville Dogs to be rescued. His first year + of his life was spent on the grounds of a condemned trailer park which humans hadn't occupied for over 3 years. In the months that lead up to Elvis' attacks he was very bothered by the new neighbors behind us. The husband continously yelled which would cause Elvis to bark his head off and try to get over the wall. Something about this guy yelling would set Elvis off like a shark that smelled blood. I am almost positive that this guy who constantly was yelling is at fault for him loosing his mind.... that and the constant crying baby which accompanied psycho neighbor's yelling. It upsets me so much that there was nothing I could do. I even called the police on the neighbor it was so bad. They moved in in mid January and Elvis went crazy less than 2 months later. You could see how distraught he would get over hearing the crying baby and screaming father. I feared for the baby's life. The night I called the police it was like almost 3 in the morning. I guess I could completely understand a dog going crazy not being able to understand. These neighbors have 2 or 3 small dogs which are constantly being screamed at too. I am praying their landlord doesn't renew their lease. Ron, It was really was way too quick from healthy active dog to her being gone. It seems impossible to age that quickly. A few months ago she was chasing Newman and still was up on my bed, which is pretty high. I'd say she hadn't been up on the bed for about 3 months but she was on the couch almost every night except for her last two days. It sucks! Thank you Val! I appreciate everything you said. Miss you!! Shellie, miss you too! Hope everything is okay with you. Mim, I remember you, it was @ 2008 that I stopped visiting the forum. The politics became too much for me. I uploaded some pics the other day, I need to get on my laptop to post to a thread. I promise to do this soon! |
| Ok, don't hold me to the post about posting pics, apparently they uploaded but access to the albums is forbidden. |
| I remember Rags and Pepsi and how much I enjoyed their antics. They also had such unique names, which set the bar for future name choosing for me. I'm so very sorry for her passing. Very happy though that she was able to maintain her quality and go to the bridge on her own terms. Run free, Rags. United with Pepsi and all of ours waiting. |
| Rags will always be remembered |
auntybren wrote: I remember Rags and Pepsi and how much I enjoyed their antics. They also had such unique names, which set the bar for future name choosing for me. I'm so very sorry for her passing. Very happy though that she was able to maintain her quality and go to the bridge on her own terms. Run free, Rags. United with Pepsi and all of ours waiting. Thank you, Brenda. Pepsi was named by my son who was 6 years old at the time. He had never had a Pepsi but loved the Pepsi logo. If it were up to me, Pepsi would've been Ralph. I always wanted a dog named Ralph. Rags was named after my Grandparent's neighbor's dog who was a male Bearded Collie. My Rags may have been part Bearded Collie, her markings were very similar to one and she had the pointy nose too. But she was definitely mostly a Sheepdog with her coat and coloring and two lower dropped down two front teeth. I had always wanted to do a DNA test but never got around to it. We miss her a lot but I always said no more females after Rags and I am sticking with that. |
| Thank you Amanda. |
| I am very sorry for your loss. It's not any easier to say goodbye the older they get. I read you have issues posting pictures of Rags, I hope you don't mind I will post them here:   |
| Thank you! And thank you for posting. These pics were a few weeks before she passed away. Her orange colored beard was due to the Turmeric powder that I was putting on her food for her which worked so well to keep her on her feet. The second picture with the rainbow that looks like it's cradling her she was laying on Pepsi's grave. |
| I figured out how to get to my pics This is Rags and my daughter a few months ago  |
Summer 2015  |
| Lovely pictures. Bitter sweet to see them after they're gone!  |
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