Ricky

Ricky left us on August 19th, 2006.  He is loved and will be missed.

Ricky’s journey started in the United States, where he was trained as a seeing eye dog. In 1993, he was placed with a family in Toronto. For the next 12 years, he worked as the man’s seeing eye dog, giving up all the normal joys that a dog has to be his owner’s eyes and independence. Most guide dogs are retired between ages 8 – 10 to ensure they have the ability to live their golden years as an average, everyday dog. Ricky was never granted that retirement and instead worked until September of 2005.

In September, Ricky’s owner had a heart attack. The wife of the owner claimed that Ricky bit her, as she was dragging him away from his owner as the paramedics were taking him away. Later, she told rescue that the day after, he had bit her after he jumped up on the counter to steal some food and she hit him. She took him to the shelter that night and told the staff to euthanize ‘it’, as she so loving referred to the dog that had served her husband for 13 years. Her husband – the man that Ricky had so faithfully lead – called the shelter and agreed to have Ricky euthanized in the shelter, without his family around him. Interestingly, rescue later found out that a new seeing eye dog was on his way to this ‘loving’ family.

Labrador Retriever Rescue Ontario , after speaking to the shelter and ascertaining that no aggressive behaviour had been seen, agreed to take this dog. It might seem insanity to take an almost 15 year old dog in, but both the shelter staff and LRRO felt that Ricky had some time left, and that a dog who had sacrificed so much for his family deserved more. A plea went out for a foster home. I was in the right place to help this dog – I had room, only one other dog and enough love to go around., What I didn’t have was the money to afford the vet bills that a geriatric dog often incurs. LRRO again stepped to the plate and offered me Ricky as a permanent foster. The truth was that all parties thought this would be a very temporary foster. Ricky was very depressed in the shelter, and it seemed like he was not long for this world. However, it was decided that we would let him live out what we thought would be 2 – 3 weeks in a home where he was loved, and he would be euthanized in the arms of someone who loved him, instead of at a shelter.

Ricky, however, had other plans. Have you ever seen a 15 year old Labrador run? Leap for joy? Ricky does this, and more. Ricky has fit in our lives, and has brought much joy. He is in tremendous condition for a 15 year old Labrador Retriever, and actually has begun puppy obedience classes, which are helping remind him that he doesn’t get to tell me where I need to go! His veterinarian has given him a clean bill of health and he seems to be enjoying his new life enormously. He finds immense joy in having a ‘brother’, and my boys play together constantly. It took a little time for Ricky to adjust to just being a ‘dog’, but he has embraced his new lifestyle with much verve and vigour! The supposed aggression has been non-existent in my house. While I’m very aware that Ricky is a geriatric Labrador, I’m hopeful he’ll be with us for a while yet.

Ricky owes a debt of gratitude to several people, most notably LRRO and Joan Znidarec, Dawn van Nostrand, Tari Yates, and North York Animal Services who ensured that he would find a loving home and have helped funded his care. Others, such has John Menzies of Don’t Blame Em, Train Em, in Burlington, have stepped to the plate by donating obedience classes. His story seems to have struck a cord in people, and I’m constantly asked about how he is doing and progressing.

How can someone take a dog who has served their family loyally for 13 years and dump them in a shelter? I have no idea, but I feel lucky that their heartlessness brought Ricky into my life.