Ranger, as aptly named as any dog on the planet ever was. I think we found out why they called you Ranger. You were housebroken so we took you out to the backyard to do your duties and came back you were gone you Houdini you :) we were scared we lost you and went searching for you. Figures we found you in a playground park. You always did love to play.

So we buried rocks and stones around the fence line so you couldn't dig out and get lost again you rascal you.

When we found you there you were smiling a wide doggy smile as if nothing was out of the ordinary. So we brought you home.

Later we found out you could jump the fence when you escaped again this time to play with the neighborhood kids(they knew you so no one called the animal control).

We had to replace the fence with a taller one because of you, you mischievous scamp. Such an athlete. At least you didn't master the high jump.

You were lucky we did get you though. The person selling you (your foster parent?) was not a very good one. You could have died there. That lady she was letting her kid play fetch with you with a marble! It was the big alley kind but still way too small to allow a dog to fetch. You could have choked. Not appropriate! Not safe! I'm so glad we took you home from there. You got to live a good 17 years with us. If you'd stayed there who knows how long you might have lived but I doubt you'd have lived very long with their recklessness.

You were such a sweetie pie Ranger. Not a mean bone in your body. So nice and gentle. So friendly.

You wouldn't tell it from your photos. For some reason you always took such a serious picture. Well not always but most of the pictures with you smiling were either too dark or poorly focused to take a pic of the pic with my cell phone so I could upload them. I hope the pic uploads ok I don't want it to keep people from seeing your name and how long you lived.

Ranger you were always so much fun always up for a game of fetch. Then when you got tired or bored you'd end the game your way. By not bringing it back then setting it on the ground in front of you and creeping forward until the ball was hidden under your chest smiling all the while.

I miss you Ranger but the tears dried years ago when all the happy memories wiped them away. You were a good dog ranger such a good boy most of the time. Mostly. Although for some reason you didn't want to stay in at night. Eventually my parents let you be an outdoor dog but still tried every night to see if you'd wise up and stay in at night. You wouldn't until you got to be very old in dog years. You finally decided you wanted to be in at night on 13 years old. Maybe it was because we made the doghouse so cozy. With it set inside the walls of the old brick BBQ, insulated walls, a foam mat, straw and a really really heavy canvas flap covering the door keeping the wind out. I know it kept you warm enough because when we'd try bringing you in you were all toasty warm. I'm thinking maybe we made it so cozy you just wanted to stay put in your warm bed in winter. I don't think you ever went in in warm weather even though the flap door was tied back in summer and the foam and straw removed so it wouldn't be too hot. In summer you preferred digging a hollow in the ground underneath the white spruce tree.

I remember the night you barked a deep throaty bark one summer night. You sure had a deep bark. If I didn't know you I'd have thought you were the size of a Rottweiler or something. Ranger you scared that raccoon darn good. You scared it so bad it went up a tree in a neighbors yard the other side of the fence and stayed up that tree all next day til the you went fir your evening walk. Don't know why it stayed up when you went on your morning walk but you scared that darn raccoon real real good you made me so proud. You scaring the raccoon made me change my kind about you. You were a dogs dog and I realized then you weren't a Lady replacement.

Then another time you chases a skunk out of the yard without getting sprayed. I heard this growling and couldn't understand what was going on so I opened the window and looked out. There you were hot on that skunks tail barely an inch off it's tail chasing it growling at it. I was sure scared you would get sprayed. So I was real real careful to close the window gently so not to distract you in case that would get you sprayed (also I closed it in case the skunk did spray didn't want it in the house).

Ranger such a good dogs dog. I was blessed and honored to have you in my life for all those years.

The change of heart when I realized you were so much better then Lady at defending the property from vermin made me fall in love with you my dear Ranger.

That love I had tried to keep from happening had finally happened and I wasn't betraying Lady You weren't a replacement you were your own dog totally different from her. You were a dogs dog and I was filled with pride that you did your ancestors proud behaving like a real dog. (Not saying dogs that don't behave like that aren't real dogs they are just that how it felt to me) what I thought what changed my mind about Ranger and made me love him for me it was when I saw him behave totally different from anything Lady would do behaving in a way I felt was a way a dog should act when it's turf was invaded by vermin.

You were so full of life Ranger right until almost the end. Whenever we'd come home you'd race around the yard doing what I've recently learned people now call the zoomies, howling a welcome home at the top of your lungs letting the world know your people were back. Letting us know how much you loved us and missed us every time we went out and away in the car for a bit.

I also remember Ranger after your stroke (or whatever it was) when you came back from the vet you didn't want to eat I got you to eat by giving you a piece of cooked bacon. You never were the same after. Your joy of life was gone. I know putting you down was the right thing now but back then I didn't want to let you go to lose you . I'm still not privy to what Ranger's real medical condition and prognosis was, dad never told, I'm only guessing it was a stroke he had by its effects on him but though I didn't want to I now know it was right to let him go, so he wasn't suffering anymore. I'm pretty sure he was suffering before he was put down. He was moving so slow head down no joy of life anymore so I know he was suffering maybe in pain and now I'm glad he was freed from his suffering so he could go to doggy/pet heaven to the Rainbow bridge.

Ranger when you were put down and dad your fur daddy, my dad couldn't face you and go in with you when you were put to sleep, why I went in was I had come to love you, and all I could think was that I couldn't let you die alone couldn't let you die in fear thinking you were abandoned I couldn't let you die alone. I don't regret doing that for you. My only regret is that the last words you heard when you died was mere don't fight it instead of I love you Ranger.

I love you Ranger. I miss you and now I've done right by you. I couldn't give you a funeral or bury you my folks let the vet do it and I'm so sorry for that Ranger, more than you can know but now now I've done right I've given you a memorial so people will know you lived and know about you and know what a great dog you were what a great playmate you were and what a good friend you were..

Valentines is coming and though we didn't really do anything special for it with you back when you were alive, people weren't really doing things like celebrating holidays with pets or it wasn't talked about if they were (looking at posts on this site it was the latter, they did but didn't talk about it). Anyway, if I had you back we'd celebrate by be giving you a kibbles or some other dog treat inside a valentine candy box after having removed the candy and made it safe since chocolate is harmful and can be lethal to dogs. Then I'd let you eat the treats. 🙂 so I gave you a valentine heart here. Try not to open it til Feb 14th ok and you already know what's in it I told you. Kibble 🤷‍♀️ still miss you after all these years and never forgot you love you Ranger.

Almost another year has gone by Ranger, hard to believe how time flies. I'm glad I memorialized you here. It helped me doing so. Can't say the ways it helped but that's between you and me and I know you know them. I love you Ranger I hope you're having fun with the others at Rainbow bridge or with dad having fun with him. Love you Rainer. I'll see you here sometimes. I love you ,I hope you know how much. My dear sweet Ranger, you were the most mischievous of angels & the most innocent true heart. I love you Ranger.

Mom died yesterday (6:55 am Sunday July 21, 2024) Ranger. I hope you and dad went to meet her and comfort her because she'll find it hard at first being in the spirit world. You and dad please comfort her along with Lady and be sure she knows I'll be ok and that even though I'm sad with grief I know at rainbow bridge and the afterlife she's better off there with no more pain and suffering and no more fear and no more physical problems like broken hips. Comfort her and let her know I'll be ok I just have to grieve first and that that's all my tears are grief and not something for her to worry about.

Please also visit Lady.