Thank you to ARF and all of the volunteers for everything you do. My husband and I adopted our dog, Tucker, from ARF in February 2015 when he was 5 months old. Sadly, Tucker passed away this past October just after his 9th birthday. But I wanted to let you know what an amazing life Tucker had.
When I first saw Tucker’s photo on the ARF website, I knew I wanted that little dog to be part of our family. We had a trip planned so we had to wait to see Tucker until we were back. I looked at his picture every day of our trip hoping he hadn’t been adopted yet (drove my husband crazy!) We were lucky enough to be the chosen parents of this sweet dog (we were so happy when Margaret his foster mom chose us!)
Tucker had the biggest personality with so many funny quirks (we wrote down 5 pages of hilarious/unique things he did!). He adored us and our next door neighbours but otherwise didn’t gravitate towards people. But he loved other dogs. We joked that he was a ‘walk snob’ because he made it clear he only preferred off-leash walks at the dog park, mountain hikes, or swims in the river– and he went on plenty of those! Tucker went on so many adventures with us; hikes all through Kananaskis, Canmore, BC, and northern Saskatchewan. Tucker joined us on a 3-week road trip across BC, Washington, and Oregon where he got to run the beaches of the Oregon coast and play in the ocean.
If there is one thing everyone knew about Tucker was his love for MASSIVE sticks. He wouldn’t just find any normal-sized stick, he would search for the biggest stick (tree) that he could possibly drag out of the bushes! The logs he would carry would amaze people and draw a crowd wherever he was. He would strut around and be so proud of himself!
When we added two kids to the family when Tucker was 4 & 8, he instantly accepted his new siblings and only ever showed patience and love.
Tucker and I were inseparable and had many good cuddles over the years. It didn’t matter where he was in the house, if I went to lay down he was instantly there ready to take a nap with me. We were lucky enough that between my husband and I, someone was home with Tucker full-time for 7 of his 9 years.
I so wish we had more time with him, I was truly heartbroken to say goodbye, but I try to take comfort in knowing he received the most love and attention of any dog I know.
Tucker truly had an amazing life! Thanks to the volunteers at ARF who gave him a chance to
succeed and find a family who loved him so much. I hope one day I’ll be ready to do this again and adopt another rescue dog who needs a good home.
