Puggles & Pitties

UPDATE: On August 28, 2011, Rufus was escorted to Rainbow Bridge in the arms of his foster mommy.

Sunday evening, Rufus began having problems walking; he couldn’t seem to put one foot in front of the other, one leg was always collapsing and he’d stumble while trying to catch his balance. Then we noticed that one of his eyes was twitching in an up-and-down motion. He was rushed to the vet, where we were told the prognosis was not good. He had some sort of traumatic brain event, possibly a stroke. There was treatment for it, but there was no guarantee that it would work and if it did work, the condition could come back again. The testing to definitively determine what had happened was cost prohibitive. Considering that Rufus had a heart murmur and was struggling more and more with the arthritis in his spine, we decided it was best to free him from his physical pain and allow his spirit to run free.

Rufus was loved as much as any other member of his foster family, and his foster mom is devastated by his loss. The house seems empty without him; the sofa seems extra large without him taking up the entire right half; the best cuddle buddy in the house is gone.

Rest in peace Rufie-Doo.  You will always  hold a special place in our hearts. You are a very good boy.

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Rufus is a perfect dog.  He’d be great for a first-time pit bull parent!

Rufus is approximately 9 years old and came to us from the El Cajon Animal Shelter right around Christmas. He’s not had an easy go at life thus far, so Puggles & Pitties is committed to making this sweet senior’s final time on Earth as comfy as possible.

Rufus gets along with every dog he meets – big, small and everything in between. In fact, while he was at the shelter there was a chihuahua in the kennel next to his. One cold night, the little chi crawled through the drain and when the shelter staff came in the next morning they found Rufus and his buddy curled up together sound asleep. Awwwww!!

Rufie-Doo (that’s his nickname) doesn’t like to be crated, but he’s an angel dog and doesn’t really need to be kenneled, even when no one is home. He’s housetrained and spends his days (and most nights) just like this:

When he came to us, he had a urinary tract infection, ear infections, 2 lumps that needed to be removed, and was in dire need of a dental including the removal of several teeth. We’re patching him up slowly but surely, plus feeding him good food and giving him lots of hugs and kisses. He has arthritis in his spine so doesn’t do steps very easily (other than 1 – 2 steps to get into a house) but we’ve got him on glucosamine plus an occasional Rimadyl if he seems more stiff or achy than usual.

He likes getting out for walks but can’t move very fast so doesn’t require a ton of exercise. He just kind of toodles along beside you, happy to be out sniffing the fresh air and feeling the sun on his fur.

Goofy Rufie is a BIG boy – 100 lbs – and is most likely part pit and part lab. He is ALL gentle giant though, and just wants a soft bed and a full belly.

Every now and then Rufus likes playing with one of his foster sisters, usually Sophie the boxer.  He’ll actually play bow and roll onto his back and wrestle around with her. We’re trying to get it on camera because it’s so cute to see him happy and playing!

Rufus would be the perfect dog for just about anyone. He’s extremely gentle, docile, friendly, easy-going, affectionate, well-mannered, housetrained, quiet…he just wants someone to love him. He promises to reward you in spades if you open your heart and your home to him.

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