# Some pics of my 3 furry kiddos.... **long... lots of pics**



## thirdgenlxi

Figured I'd post up some pics of my kiddos, and how they all came together into my life

Anyways, it all started back in 2008, I had recently moved from south Florida up to Georgia, where I could finally have a dog again. For the previous 8 years or so, I lived where I couldn't have any dogs, and I desperately missed my old Doberman Mix named Dexter, who we unfortunately had to give up back in 1999 (not by my choice and I most certainly didn't want to.... long story, situation that was out of my control). Even 8 years later I still missed him like crazy, and wanted another dog again sooooo bad. Kind of by an odd turn of events, I happened to come across Piggy. A guy on the local motorcycle forum I was on posted up about her..... she belonged to a house full of illegals down the road from him near Atlanta. She had been tied up to the bumper of an old van out by the street for weeks and weeks on end.... my buddy saw her tied up out there 24/7 in any weather conditions, never saw any food or water, no shelter other than under the van. The rope she was tied up with was just wrapped and tied around her neck, and she had grown into it and it was so tight it was nearly choking her, and she was obviously underweight as well. My buddy and another neighbor had tried getting animal control out there for several weeks and they simply would not do anything. My buddy was out working on his car one night, came out from under it and was greeted by a starving dog with a chewed off piece of rope around her neck. He knew right away which dog it was, and refused to take her back there for the well being of the dog. But he had 3 dogs himself that didn't take well to another dog coming in, so he had to find a home for her and posted up on the forum. I saw the pictures and knew the situation, and simply couldn't say no, so I went the next night and picked her up

This was her first night home in March '08. My buddy had given her a bath and cleaned her up some, she was filthy before. Meet Piggy (well, technically Piglet at the time, but she pretty much just goes by Piggy these days, lol). Appropriately named by her loud and fast snoring.... she sounds exactly like a pig, lol. We approximate she was about 6-9 months here, around 50-ish lbs




























She quickly proved herself to be an absolutely awesome dog with a personality truly like no other


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## thirdgenlxi

Now


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## thirdgenlxi

She's a big cuddle bunny









And gives me the guilt trip look at every bath, lol









She stared at herself in the mirror for at least a good solid 2 minutes without moving, lol









Co-Pilot Pig




































Completely spoiled rotten too.... her heated dog house (I'm 6ft tall and can lay down in it.... comfortably, lol)


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## thirdgenlxi

Last week we got talking about her upcoming hip surgery.... she had a few things to say about needles, knives, and getting cut open


















She didn't want to talk about it anymore









This is why she needed surgery.... severe hip dysplasia in her left hip









And here she is after her surgery she just had on thursday.... picked her up on friday


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## thirdgenlxi

Day after surgery










One week after surgery





And some current pics from just a few weeks ago... now 3 months after surgery and she's healing up quite well!


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## thirdgenlxi

That's about all the pics I've got for Piggy....

Ok this one is gonna be REALLY long..... just a fair warning, lol. I've been told it's worth the read though, so....

So last year I moved (again), and this time was living by myself... no longer had any roomates or other dogs like I had at the previous places I lived at. Piggy seemed kind of lonely now that she was by herself all day while I was at work. I was pondering getting another dog, while my landlords next door were talking about getting a couple of small goats for the big field out back, who could also keep Piggy company. Nothing solid had come of either plan yet, when yet again another stroke of luck comes by way. Early January of this year, my landlords had informed me that my neighbors on the other side had told them they saw a couple of young puppies running around my yard. She had said they seemed kind of ferocious and not very friendly. I hadn't seen them, but I put a big bowl of food out on my front porch along with a bowl of water, just in case they were still around could at least get some food. A full week went by, and the food hadn't been touched or the water, and I still hadn't seen them so I figured they were probably just passing through or belonged to somebody in the area just running around, and were already gone (I live in a very very rural area, so dogs running around loose isn't that uncommon). Mid January I took Piggy into the vet on a saturday afternoon for her annual check up and some shots... we're coming home and pull in the driveway, and soon as I come around the back of the house I see these 2 little puppies scurrying under this old empty building next to my driveway as soon as they saw me. I literally said "holy s**t there they are!!", lol.... cuz I thought for sure they were gone by that point. Now I'm not sure if they are strays born in the wild, or if somebody dumped them off. Out in the rural areas where I live, people dumping animals, especially young puppies and kittens, is VERY common. So I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if that's what happened

So I took Piggy in the house, then went back out to try and wrangle them up to see what was going on. But as soon as I went back outside, they quickly ran back under the building. It was clear they were absolutely downright terrified of me. So I went back in the house and got some food.... hotdogs, turkey, beef, whatever I could find that they might find interesting to try and get them to come up to me. I spent the next 4 hours trying to get them to come up to me, and they simply would not do it. They finally got to where they would come out from under the building with me outside, but soon as I tried to get close, back under they went. I got another idea, and just left a food trail from the building, across the driveway and into the house. I went inside and hid out behind the door, and FINALLY one of them took the bait.... in came the black one. Soon as I shut the door she jumped and turned around, and looked at me with the most horrifying look I've prob ever seen. She immediately went and ran under some chairs and hid out for dear life. I didn't push myself right away, just let her be for a little bit and take things slowly. I got some more food out and slowly tried to bribe her again. After about 30-45 mins, she finally let me go up to her and pick her up

Meet who will later be named.... Piper









I sat and held her for awhile.... she was still very tense but you could feel her getting slightly more relaxed the longer she stayed. I just kept petting her..... she was sooo underweight, as I was running my fingers across her all I could feel was bones.... spine and ribs. I could actually watch my fingers move up and down as I ran my hand down her back... it was like petting a skeleton, and not joking or exaggerating either, lol

She started to relax a little bit, and drank some water (notice the tail and body language.... still VERY nervous)









She was cold.... the night before I found them was literally the coldest night of the entire winter, at 8 degrees actual temp (which is actually very cold for this area). She sat here in front of the radiator for prob a good 30 minutes solid









Got her to eat a little bit of food too. She was sick, prob from eating who knows what, and threw up a few times and had quite possibly the worst case of diarrhea that I've ever seen come out of any living creature.... ever. Seriously about every 10 minutes she would just EXPLODE.... I could hear it in a different room and it was so much and so runny, while she was still squatted down it was pooling out so fast it was getting on her back paws. And on top of that, what wasn't liquid, was WORMS. I'm talking piles of worms. Their bellies were also very bloated. No collars, no tags, no chips.... I checked around the local shelters and none reported them as missing, and with the shape they were in at that age, I doubted anyone legitimately owned them









In between working with her, I kept trying to get the other one in. He was much much more apprehensive then she was, and simply would not follow the food trail. He'd get about half way, look around, then run back under the building. It ended up getting late and dark, and I had to wait until the next day to try again to get him in. That's the building they had been living under









In the mean time, I gave Piper a bath cuz she was downright filthy and smelled horrible. After the bath, I decided to try and introduce her and Piggy (mind you, Piggy loves EVERYBODY). It certainly didn't take long to see there would be no problems here.... literally as soon as I brought Piggy out, Pipers tail went up and started wagging, and she got all excited. Piggy immediately went straight into Mama mode, and started taking care of her


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## thirdgenlxi

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Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
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The next day I went down to Tractor Supply and bought an animal trap, as I had tried the food trail again with no success, so this was my only other option. I put some beef in it, and set it out by where he was hanging out. It took several hours, but he finally took the bait

Meet who will later be named.... Riley









Got him in the house, and he downright refused to budge out of the trap. I left the door wide open but he had no interest in coming out, and wouldn't even look at me. Again, I didn't want to rush things, so I just let him be. I let Piper out and she ran into the trap with him and they curled up together



























I had called my boss at work Sunday and told him I'd be late, had to take these little guys into the vet ASAP. So monday morning, both of them were still curled up in the trap. I had to get them out, and even after trying to coax them out they still wouldn't budge. They were not aggressive in the least, I could reach in the trap and pet them both with no growls or anything, but ended up having to pretty much drag them out one by one. Riley made it clear he was not too happy about it, lol









They were in rough shape.... severely underweight, dehydrated, fleas, and a terrible case of worms (both of them). Piper weighed in at 7 lbs, and Riley at 9 lbs. The vet said it was a good thing I brought them in when I did, cuz their worms were so bad she said it probably wouldn't have been long before their stomachs ruptured from the worms, and of course they'd be dead. So they got their first round of de-wormer, treated for the fleas, and a few other things (they waited on the shots until the next time). Vet said they were 8 weeks old

Got home and give Riley a good scrubbing..... he too was filthy


















Decided to bring Piggy back out, and introduce her to Riley as well. Once again, the change in attitude was immediate.... ears went up, tails went up and started wagging, and they both got all excited. Piggy once again went into Mama mode with him as well, and I'm pretty sure they both thought of Piggy as their mama


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## thirdgenlxi

I've really gotta give Piggy some major props.... she ended up being a huge help with these 2. Trying to raise 2 puppies is most definitely alot of work for one person, and she always had a way of keeping one distracted while I worked with the other one. And she wore them out too, haha









I've gotta say, Riley cleaned up nice!









They changed sooooooooo much over the course of the next week, they weren't even close to being the same dogs. The fence we used to build the fence in the back yard was field fencing, and the squares were too big for them, they could walk right out so I couldn't put them back there. So I built them a little makeshift playpen in the front yard where they could run around a little bit









Playing around










Another week went by.... everybody was still getting along great. It was obvious these 2 siblings were stuck to each other like glue


















They were warming up to me more and more by the day


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## thirdgenlxi

Then some more pics over the months as they've grown up

*Febuary*


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## thirdgenlxi

They've gotten in some awkward sleeping positions, lol









But I was pretty much guaranteed a full lap every night









Everybody went with to my trackday down in south Florida









Then back to the vet again for more shots, check up's, etc.... they now got a CLEAN bill of health!! I was so excited to hear that, lol



















Everybody was eating good and growing fast. Soon as they had started eating regularly, they gained 12 lbs in a matter of no time


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## thirdgenlxi

*March
*
Everybody continues to grow and do well


















They piled up on top of Piggy pretty much every night to sleep, lol


















Finally got the fence to where they could play in the back yard.... they loved it!







*April*


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## thirdgenlxi

Nope.... nothing has changed there









Growth spurt in full force... getting big!














































*May*


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## thirdgenlxi

Piper has most definitely got some retriever blood in her.... every single time we'd go outside, she'd find something to pick up and carry around, lol




































They didn't want to let me out of bed one morning, lol




























*June-July*

It was starting to get hot outside, so I went and got them a little pool to splash around in









Luckily, like Piggy, they both LOVE riding in the car


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## thirdgenlxi

Then when we actually went swimming


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## thirdgenlxi

And once again, everybody still getting BIG!



















*August*

Piper and Riley had both started their puppy classes in June. They're extremely smart and well behaved, but they had some social anxiety issues we needed to address.... they were great with me, but would freak out around other people, even with all my attempts to socialize them prior it just wasn't taking. Riley was the real tough one.... he would completely shut down in public.... wouldn't take treats or any food (even raw meat), or drink any water out in public, even from me. They've both improved tremendously since being in class. Riley started his class first, but Piper ended up graduating first as Riley needed a little more work and we kept him going a little longer










They love being able to run around and play all day.... they're exhausted by the time I get home from work, lol (this was within 5 mins of getting home)









Riley caught a turtle in the back yard..... he was sooooo proud, lol









He's a happy boy



























Then Riley graduated his puppy class shortly after










*September*

Everybody healthy, happy, and eating good


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## thirdgenlxi

Piper graduated her intermediate class.... she's now just past the 2nd week of her advanced class and doing fantastic! Kinda funny thing though.... when they first started, Piper was doing much better than Riley. Then Riley all of a sudden just took off, and has since surpassed Piper and is now doing better than she is (not that she's doing bad, just that Riley is totally rockin' it). He'll be starting his advanced class soon as the next one opens up, so he's still going in intermediate just to keep him going









A couple videos of some of their training.... this isn't everything they know, just some of the main stuff that they do really really well and I could videotape easily, lol. They're most certainly no dummies! And the sit-stay-wait for command to go eat, they've been doing since about 12 weeks old












*October*










Piper has mastered the "feel sorry for me NOW" look, lol









I think they're going to be very tall and slender like Piggy









They still love each other though









Their coats are incredible


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## thirdgenlxi

Pipers especially


















The three goofs, lol


















*November*


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## thirdgenlxi

*December*


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## thirdgenlxi




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## thirdgenlxi




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## thirdgenlxi

Last month on January 15th, to celebrate their 1 year RE-birthday, I had to do something special to celebrate... so I baked them doggy B-day cakes! I always have attentive visitors in the kitchen whenever I'm cooking anything, lol



















Riley: "Ummm.... Piper, why is our food on fire??"

Piper: "Who cares... lets eat!!"


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## thirdgenlxi

Riley definitely has a rough life... lol










Come to think of it, I think I got the same speech from Piggy and Piper too










Piper has been a master escape artist for the past couple months.... finally caught where she was getting out at though, she's a sneaky little thing (and waaaayyy too smart for her own good, lol)










It's about 10 min mark or so when she starts her escape


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## thirdgenlxi

Piggy started school last week.... trainer knows Piggy and didn't think she needed the beginner class since she knows most of the basic stuff, so we started her in intermediate. Should be interesting, lol.... and definitely entertaining










Oh and that black Lab in the background that looks just like Piper...... his name is Pepper, lol. Trainer kept accidentally calling him Piper all night










Ohhh and Piper just wanted to say...






And last but not least..... my all time favorite shot of them. They have have gotten bigger, but Piggy still sees them as her babies, and protects them as such. I had absolutely nothing to do with setting up this pose, they did it 100% entirely on their own (even the paw), I just snapped the pic









I liked it so much, I had it printed out on a 16x20 canvas, and it proudly hangs on my living room wall


















When I first took them in, I wasn't even sure I was gonna keep them or not. I kept going back and forth between keeping them, or trying to find them a good home after I had gotten them healthy. I didn't want to take them to a shelter cuz with the shape they were in, chances are they would have been put down immediately (I know what goes on at shelters). I didn't even know how I was gonna be able to afford two more dogs, much less all the vet bills that went along with them and the time involved raising them (I've never in my life raised puppies from that young of age before). Piggy is already 83 lbs and, as you can imagine, eats quite a bit, so adding two more mouths to feed gave me some concerns. Some good friends all pitched in to help out with the vet bills, another sent a huge box of toys, treats, collars, leashes, etc, to help out. Needless to say, the more time went on, the more attached I got to them. By the time they were healthy, there was absolutely no way I could get rid of them, I'd just have to find a way to make it work. And boy am I glad I did.... they all mean the absolute world to me! It's kinda funny how everybody came together like pieces of a puzzle, and gets along like they've known each other all their lives, lol

Riley and Piper are currently weighing in at 49 and 51 lbs, respectively, and both as healthy as can be. Both are doing great in their training, and if I can get them past this social anxiety issue, I'm planning to get them their CGC certificate, and after that trying my hand at getting them certified as therapy dogs through TDI. Their temperament, demeanor, and behavior is simply fantastic, I think it's something they'd do very well at. They're progressing very well though, so I think they may just be able to do it.... we'll see! They have changed soooooooooooooooo much since I first got them, it's crazy the difference. Not even remotely the same dogs they started out as

Soooo yea..... there's my 3 babies, and how they all came into my life in a (rather large) nutshell, lol. I love them all to death.... they're like my kids


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## cupybear

*pictures*

Thank you so much for sharing the background of your babies and posting all the beautiful photos,its really so so nice of you to take them all in and nurse them all back to the best of health,this world really needs more people like yourself,you have done an outstanding job and still are,amazing to see how they have all grown from all the photos and videos you have posted,thank you again for sharing.


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## xellil

What a sweet story. Luckily for dogs, there are people like you in the world.


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## funshine

Love the way you caught the escape artist :biggrin1:
Cool spy camera!

Great stories and pictures!


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## Herzo

Good for you in taking them in and you cook, a guy that cooks for his dogs to boot. They look great Piggy looks like she has Bullmastiff in her, I have one that is on the very small side 65 lbs. Enjoyed the story and pictures.


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## NewYorkDogue

Fantastic story of how your "family" came to be. Very inspiring, and it seems that all 3 dogs found exactly the right home.

Beautiful dogs!


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## Jodysmom

What a wonderful post! I can't wait to show my family members!


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## meggels

I love your story, even for the second time haha. I just love your pack so much and I think all three soooo lucked out by getting you as their dad! It makes me teary eyed to read how much love you have for them.


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## Unosmom

I remember your story from dog forums, you're an awesome person for doing what you did, we need more people like you in the world.


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## MollyWoppy

I wish there were more men like you in this world Jared. I really enjoyed your story and your photo's, made my night.
You've done a fabulous job with 3 little dogs that no-one else wanted, but they are, and will pay you back with years and years of love and commitment, so totally worth it.
I really hope you stick around, you sound like a really good bloke! And, I'm looking forward to seeing how your pups progress.
Thanks for taking the time to tell you and your pup's stories.


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## Janet At Nutro

Thank you for sharing all of the wonderful pictures.
They look like they are very happy pups!
The birthday cake was very cute!


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## thirdgenlxi

MollyWoppy said:


> I wish there were more men like you in this world Jared. I really enjoyed your story and your photo's, made my night.
> You've done a fabulous job with 3 little dogs that no-one else wanted, but they are, *and will pay you back with years and years of love and commitment, so totally worth it.*
> I really hope you stick around, you sound like a really good bloke! And, I'm looking forward to seeing how your pups progress.
> Thanks for taking the time to tell you and your pup's stories.


Thanks!! And you're absolutely right.... they give me all the love in the world, which is most definitely the best reward. I seriously don't think any of them have a mean bone in their bodies.....soooo gentle and affectionate. Just snapped a couple pics of Piggy tonight when I got home from work, right before dinner time










Then she was getting antsy for fooooooood, LOL (she most definitely lives up to her name!)











Anyways... thanks again everyone for all the kind words! I'm glad you all enjoy :smile: I was just doing what I felt was the right thing to do..... if I would have left them and they died under the building there where they were living, I would have felt absolutely horrible for not doing anything, so I guess I kinda felt it was my responsibility to step in and help. Raising 2 sick puppies on top of taking care of an existing adult dog by yourself is most definitely A LOT of work for one person, but I figured it would all somehow work out in the end, and what didn't I'd figure it out as I go. No regrets whatsoever.... they're all I've got, and I wouldn't change a thing or have it any other way :biggrin1:


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## thirdgenlxi

Well I know it's been awhile since I did a pupdate in here, but thought this was worth mentioning..... I'm very proud to say that Riley and Piper both now have their CGC certificates!! Sooooooo freakin' proud of them and just how far they've come. Still not perfect, but from where they started they're not even remotely close to the same dogs. They were in rough shape not only physically but mentally as well, and they've had a LOT of obstacles to overcome with their major fear issues, but they're doing great!





































They both now proudly hang on the living room wall











And a few recent pics....

Riley loves belly rubs










And expensive toys, lol










Piper is turning gray already...sheesh


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## thirdgenlxi

Waiting patiently










Hanging out down at South Mountain State Park




























Sleepy










And of course Piggy is still being.... Piggy, lol



















Riley is a daddys boy alright, haha










Lazy bums











Everybody is doing great.... happy and healthy! Now to see if we can't get one or both of them through therapy dog.... we shall see!


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## Sprocket

Totally in tears. What a wonderful story


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## wolfsnaps88

Reasons why I love what I just read:

#1.) What kind of a great person does this? Seriously, there are not enough people out there that would take a chance on ALL THREE of these dogs that desperately needed help. I am sure your dogs give you all the love and gratitude needed, but from me, a complete stranger, I say Thanks. Thanks for doing a great job with giving these dogs a great life.

#2.) You took pictures like crazy! I love that. I know someone who also takes a lot of pictures (many of them are of raw feeding but a few glamour shots get thrown in once in a while.) me. It's me. I do that too. It was nice to have a pictography of their life. I feel like I know them now. And that shot you have blown up on your wall? AMAZING.

#3.) Nice to see a male love his dogs so much. There seem to be a lot more women than men that do this kind of stuff and I found it very refreshing that a guy rescued and loves his dogs so much. 

#4.) Piper is a black lab mix. With PINK PAWS? What??? Very interesting and cute. 

#5.) All three of your dogs are beautiful and its great that you trained them well. BTW, the camera thing? GENIUS!

Ok, that's all from me. I wish you 4 continued well wishes and a long happy life.


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## RiverRun

beautifully amazing story! Thank you so much for sharing! I loved the pictures and that spy cam was extremely entertaining. I would love to strap one of those on my dogs for a day!


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## MollyWoppy

Thanks for the update and the photo's, that's really neat! I'm so happy everything is going so well and the pup's have turned out to be everything you could ever wish for. They are beautiful. You should be really proud of yourself Jared, there aren't many people who would be willing to do half of what you've done for those pups. I'm really looking forward to your next update!


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## Luke0987654321

Lovely story and beautiful dogs 
Any updated pics?


Luke.


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## thirdgenlxi

Well everyone, as much as I usually enjoy updating this thread, this is one update that I absolutely dread to post, and wish to god I didn't have to. Unfortunately this usually happy story has taken a very tragic turn for the worst. Late Thursday afternoon I had received a phone call at work from my landlords who live next door, and they gave me some news that literally made my body numb...... they said one of my dogs had been shot. I absolutely couldn't believe it. I made my way home to get the rest of the story, and my landlords next door came over crying..... with a very heavy heart and many tears, I'm sad to say my sweet boy Riley had crossed the rainbow bridge. To make a long story short, it turns out my shitbag whitetrash neighbor shot him in cold blood, saying that Riley "attacked his pant leg"..... which is complete and utter bullshit. Riley was still rather shy, and absolutely would NOT go up to anyone but me. People could have food or treats to give him and he still wouldn't go up and take it from them. Not to mention he's had all his beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes, which he passed with flying colors, as well as his CGC certificate which he also passed with flying colors...... doesn't exactly sound like stuff an aggressive dog would have. The further I get into it, the more I see that LOTS of stuff just isn't adding up

I took him into the vets Friday evening for a necropsy and got a lot of useful information. Looks like he was shot 3 times, twice in the rear *FROM A DISTANCE* with a bird shot, and then once almost point blank near the head, which was ultimately what killed him. They checked his teeth for evidence of a fight or any fabric material (dude says his pants are all torn), and found absolutely nothing.... the only thing in his mouth was some grass. So needless to say, I'm building myself a legal case against this guy, gonna get all my ducks in a row, get as many people and agencies and whatnot involved as I can, and then hopefully nail this asshole to the f'ing wall, and am going to take every legal option I have to do so. The guy from Pet Heaven came yesterday and picked him up to take him to get cremated.... he should be back on Monday afternoon and I'll build him a nice little memorial to hang up here in the house where he can watch over his sister and his step-mama that love him just as much

RIP Riley.... 1-16-11 (gotcha!) - 7-18-13. 2.5 years old was waaaaay too young, especially to end it like this. Run free sweet boy...... I love you and miss you soooo much already


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## thirdgenlxi




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## NutroGeoff

Those are some great lookin dogs! They look to be so very happy!


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## Sprocket

That is absolutely TERRIBLE! I am so sorry that happen to your sweet Riley  

I hope you can get that horrible person charged with something!


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## meggels

I am so so so sorry. I'm trying not to cry as I type this. I remember reading about Riley and your other two on dogforums.com when you first found them. And you took such amazing care of them.

I'm just so sorry.


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## kathylcsw

I am so, so very sorry. I have also followed the story of Riley and Piper and this brings tears to my eyes. I don't know why people have to be so awful.


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## lovemydogsalways

I am so saddened by this.


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## Herzo

Me too I am so sorry. I was just wondering where the third shot was found. What a creep this guy must be. This is just horrible.


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