A story about Reub.

Tessa: When I met our dog Reuben 51/2 years ago he was 10 weeks old. For the first week I had him I felt shock at the awesome responsibility I had undertaken and wondered if I should take him back. Every moment we spent together I realized how much he was in his own invincible way changing me and my life. I was single, working at a more than full time job and never home. Getting a dog didn’t fit my lifestyle at all.

But the moment I laid eyes on him I felt a really strong emotion. I knew that even though he was making my life difficult in a way I had never experienced before that I could never give him up. So for two years we hung out together. I stopped going out as much, and hung out at home with him mostly. Sometimes we’d go running or to the beach but mainly I just loved him. That’s the funny thing about animals. As much as they love you unconditionally I found that he made me feel something I had never felt before either. Unconditional love. I guess it’s like having your heart grow and stretched in ways you had never imagined. That’s just one of the things he has done for me.

When I met Dave, Reuben and I had been alone together for two years. He wasn’t that into Dave when they first met and he’s not the kind of dog to easily fork over affection or devotion. He makes you work for it. And Dave did. In the beginning he always gave me and Reuben our space to work things out. But slowly Dave would take him out to play or goof around with him, teach him tricks, go exploring. After a about a year of this Reuben finally thought he was cool enough to get in on his side of the car. When I was away from home he stopped sitting by the window to wait for me. He’d go hang with Dave. At around the same time I think Dave started to feel the love for Reub. Theirs was definitely a slow grow.

Reub and I couldn’t have found a better person to be a family with. While I coddle and fuss over Reub,Dave rough houses, plays and adventures. Reub has learned how to have fun and really be a dog with Dave. I turned him into a sissy but Dave has helped him become a more playful, normal and  happy dog.

Although our approaches are different, what’s not different is our fierce love and devotion to Reub. I know there are a lot of loved dogs out there but I would put Reub at the very peak of that list of loved dogs.

Last we updated you Reuben was in surgery for having eaten a bunch of wood. Last Thursday we rushed him to emergency where he had his second surgery. Today we brought him to Canada-West Veterinary Group, the best critical care facility in Western Canada. Right now he is in his third surgery. I don’t believe in god, I don’t believe in anything so I’m not sure what I’m hoping to achieve when I’m lying in bed at night navigating my heart and my head between hope and despair. But I’m thinking of him as hard as I can because I’m not ready to say goodbye to our best friend. I don’t think he is ready either.