A New Home for Ridley

I took our sweet Ridley to live with a new family. I miss her terribly - we had her for five years - but I've talked with the family and they say she is being "lavished with love!" Ridley's new family (a Mom, Dad, and two daughters - ages 10 and 16)prayed for a dog and wanted a Westie. The 16-year-old's best friend goes to church with Ridley's breeder - who I had been in touch with because she was still growling at Eli and Lucy - and, well, two prayers were answered! They prayed for a loving dog and we had prayed for a home where Ridley would get more attention and be able to relax. We love her dearly, but she's always seemed "unsettled" with children and she got very upset whenever I couldn't focus solely on her. These days without her have been hard. Ridley has been my daily companion since I've been at home and I miss snuggling with her. I miss little moments like when I open the cheese drawer and expect to hear her come running - she loves cheese! I just miss her company...she was always in the room with me and would even get up in the middle of the night whenever I was being nocturnal. I feel guilty and weak that we couldn't make it work with her, but I felt like I was being selfish to keep her just because "I am a dog person." We've tried several things over the past few years to help her feel more comfortable with children, but I think, most of all, that she wanted our undivided attention. We briefly considered offering her to our friends and family, but I think that situation would be very confusing for Ridley. More than anything, I want her to have a wonderful life! I think her new family has the time to treasure her and she won't feel displaced since their family dynamic is already established (can you tell that I've really, really thought a lot about this?) We told Lucy that Ridley was going to live with a new family and Lucy was fine with that explanation. Her simple acceptance is encouraging to me...I feel we made the right decision at the right time. Here's Ridley the first time we met...I found an ad for her in the Sunday Classifieds on Father's Day, 2004. Chris and I had made the decision to get a dog and had visited lots of other dogs, but none were right for us. She was perfect - we named her after one of UT's early Presidents, his last name was Ridley. In the beginning, I would rock her to sleep (was this the beginning of her issues?) while listening to a Norah Jones CD before putting her in her crate. Chris did the house-training...he is so disciplined and patient. Here's our 2004 Christmas card!

Ridley's doggie-sense was more reliable than a pregnancy test. The only time she ever laid on my stomach was early in both pregnancies. With Lucy, we already knew I was pregnant. But, with Eli, I took a pregnancy test that was negative, then took another one a few days later after Ridley laid on my stomach...it was positive!

Here's Chris and Ridley in early 2006:

I woke Chris up a little after midnight on August 13, 2006 because I was having contractions. We were scared of going to the hospital too early - we had heard stories of couples who were sent home - so we were trying to plot my contractions on the sheets we received from the hospital. Chris had to get up and so Ridley hopped onto the bed to help keep track of my contractions...

I was in labor and our gal Lucy was born! Here's Ridley and Lucy (about 2-weeks old)

For years the vet has told me that Ridley needs to lose weight. I've taken her on a zillion walks, but I cannot control the food she gets from the kids. Eli would let her like the syrup off his fingers - lucky dog! She is very smart and didn't miss one of their meals:

I told the new family that one thing I'll always remember about Ridley is how I would be walking down the street with Eli and Lucy in a humongous double-stroller and Ridley on the leash and people would pull over to say "cute dog"...without commenting on the kids! :-)

Here's Ridley (or "Diddy" as I liked to call her, since I like nicknames)before I took her to her new family. Chris left this decision up to me - he enjoyed Ridley but didn't have the same relationship with her as I did because of the amount of time I'm at home.

I miss my sweet, furry friend so much! I am thankful for the five years of memories we have together, and for the family who is already showing her off...I know she is loving every minute of it!