Meriwether Fabrications: Rikki Tikki Tavi

Rikki in June 2004

Rikki in July 2009

We had to let Rikki go on Friday. She was the most energetic 12-1/2 year old dog we've ever had. She was fighting off a soft-tissue sarcoma (cancer) between her right front shoulder and chest and it just got too large to be comfortable anymore to walk and be happy. She, like most dogs, have incredibly high pain thresholds, so she was playing even the day of her death. But when she started to whine and pant most of the day and be obviously uncomfortable in her skin...well, we had to let her go. It's so hard to know when the right time is to let them go, but there was no doubt in our minds that we had to let her go asap.

Sir and Rikki shortly after arriving in their new home

cooling off on the last snow patch in the yard, 2003.

Rikki came to us with her brother "Sir" at the age of 2 years old. She was a hugely energetic shepherd and would love to chase the Guppies around the yard before collapsing in a panting frenzy on whatever cool spot she could find.

RTT in 2003

Willy, Rikki and Sir (L to R)

She was incredibly bonded to Sir as they came from a home where their previous owner had died of cancer while they laid by his bed. Sir was her 'constant' and once he died a couple years after we got him (he was 10 when we got him and lived another 3.5 years) she luckily had a pack to keep her company. Her and Basie were best friends but she was also really bonded to the Guppies - Jesse and Bear.

Jesse and Rikki

LET'S PLAY!

Her chipmunk antics. She was very agile for a german shepherd.

Rikki and Sophie

Pouncing with chipmunk in mouth

About 5 years ago, we somehow taught her a game that kept her mind a bit more focused towards us and not at running herself raggged by chasing the younger dogs. Also, she played a bit too aggressively with a couple of our other dogs soit was good to have her focused on us more anyways.

Mid-pounce playing chipmunk.

The game was 'chipmunk' and was quite simple-- i'd kick the chipmunk like someone would kick the can, and she'd squish another chipmunk (plastic dog toy chipmunks of course) in her mouth while following along usually going sideways or backwards to watch where the chipmunk was going. There was no real goal, but I think she loved it when she'd "bonk" the kicked chipmunk with the chipmunk in her mouth. I likened it to Dodge Ball -- she didn't want to get hit by the chipmunk when I kicked it because she'd jump or sidestep out of the way, but she'd try and bonk it herself. Pretty odd game but she absolutely LIVED for this game and connection with us. As Rikki got older, she didn't want to stop chipmunk and she played it until her last day. But we tried to 'diversify' her focus to include hiking around the hills near our house.

Only until her arm got so unusable she was hiking a few miles a day on the trails out back up until a few weeks ago.
On a hike out back of DVR looking towards James Peak, 2010.

My January 2011 birthday hike

Rikki was a very young soul. She really never 'grew up' but did get less manic in her later years. She had such a sweet side of her personality and would never demand attention. I really got bonded to her, in the last year especially. Even though it was the right time, because of cancer it felt like we were robbed, once again. Her mind was so awake and ready for everything and anything, but her body just couldn't go on any longer. The tumor had grown so large it was like a football under her arm. Just three months ago they took out a 2 pound tumor and got 99% of it, but the 1% they weren't able to get grew exponentially until it was just too big to let her live comfortably any more.