Ryder is in Doggy Heaven.

Ryder

Age 12, ~2000 - July 04, 2012

Home at Last Forever in my heart

My favorite photo of Ryder the first time he encountered snow

Ryder’s life began March 2, 2006, the day that he was rescued from a field in Sachse, TX and ended July 4, 2012 when he died in Garland, TX.

Ryder stepped out a field and in front of Wendi McDonald’s car, abandoned, injured, and alone. He climbed into her car with no hesitation and took his first step into a new life. Ryder was likely born in the year 2000. Little is known about Ryder’s life prior to the day he was rescued but neglect and the emotional scars were obvious. Ryder was suffering from a gunshot wound to his left hindquarters when Wendi rescued him from that field. As she drove him to the vet, she passed a Ryder moving van and thought “big yellow truck” . . . “big yellow dog” and named him Ryder. Everytime I see a Ryder truck it will always bring back fond memories of my big yellow dog Ryder.

Ryder could not have had a better ally in life than “Animal Allies of Texas”. While Wendi fostered Ryder and nursed him to health following surgery and insertion of a bone plate and six screws for a femoral fracture, resulting from the gunshot, Animal Allies was Ryder’s provider, champion and advocate. They paid for his medical treatment and care and searched for a permanent home for Ryder. They rescued him a second time when he was found in a ditch 90 miles from Dallas following his “adoption” and abandonment by his adopter. Ryder was adopted two other times and returned to Animal Allies due to health issues of his adopters.

I fostered Ryder for the last four months of 2007. He needed me and I needed him. Upon moving to Dallas for my job, I had found myself with an abusive boss that wanted me gone and following several illnesses I was abandoned by my employer, put on medical leave pending termination. I was alone in Texas without a job and alone in my apartment, the last of my four dogs and cats had died the month before. Craig Hess introduced me to Wendi, Wendi introduced me to Ryder, and Ryder introduced me to Animal Allies. Much like they had done for Ryder, Animal Allies “took me in”, supported me, became my friends, and helped me find my permanent home in Dallas. Ryder gave me more than I gave him; he gave me a new direction, purpose, and unconditional love.

After four months of fostering Ryder he was adopted and I drove him to his new home. Leaving him behind was one of the hardest things I’ve done and I will never forget Ryder’s pleading stare when he realized I was leaving without him. Six months later when his adoptive parent became ill, Animal Allies was still there for Ryder and asked me to foster him again. “If you love someone let them go, if they come back to you they’re yours forever.” Having once let him go I could have never let Ryder go again. I had just bought a house and Ryder and I moved in at the same time and Ryder had finally found his “forever home.”

Ryder’s favorite activity was doing anything that I was doing. He would follow me from room to room never wanting a closed door between us. When I left he would often lay looking out the door or window waiting my return. Ryder loved his toys, especially toys that squeaked, and he greeted me with a toy every time I came home. Ryder was a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and loved water, especially strong streams of water. He would run get a toy and drop it in the bathtub when the water was running. If a sprinkler head should pop up unexpectedly he instantly lunged at it and pulled the sprinkler head off leaving a stream of water shooting skyward. Unable to stop him I could only ask Ryder to quickly follow me and continue walking hoping that we hadn’t been caught breaking another sprinkler.

Ryder was very intelligent and very attentive to me. He was so attentive that I rarely used commands because he knew what I wanted of him. If I was talking on the phone, I could simply “mouth the words” of a command without speaking and Ryder always understood.

Despite his past having been hurt and abandoned by so many people, Ryder loved all people and loved everyone who showed him kindness. He enjoyed walks, visitors, and watching out the window but mostly he liked staying at home. That ultimately is what Ryder wanted more than anything, a home of his own and people of his own that he didn’t have to share.

In addition to myself, Ryder is survived by Ken who helped me care for Ryder and was with us during his last moments; our neighbors Fred and Cindy who cared for Ryder when I was sick and Ryder spent many hours looking out the front door barking with pleasure when he spotted them; my family in Kansas where Ryder and I often visited and where Ryder enthusiastically encountered snow; and his many, many friends and supporters at Animal Allies who cried with me when I adopted him and cried with me when he died. These are the people who were always there for Ryder and the people to whom he gave so much in return. I loved Ryder more than I can express and will miss him dearly.