Rory, a life well lived

by Richard
(San Jose)

We retrieved "Brewster" at six months from Tri Valley Animal Rescue. As we were thinking of names, "Rory" was the shelter name of our first golden retriever, RJ. In Gaelic, Rory means red king. A fine name for a golden.

Rory was a golden bundle of energy that liked to pull. Especially when ducks and squirrels were present. Ever the teenager, recall was on his terms.

He retrieved, but not always at your feet. You occasionally had to walk over to him as he had as much fun gnawing as chasing.

He did make concessions for my elderly father-in-law, placing the ball in his lap. His favorite toy was "Puppers", a stuffed golden retriever we got soon after his homecoming.

Curiously, he liked water, but disliked the pool, and sprinklers in particular. Always ready to go for a ride he occasionally slept with his head on the passenger door armrest. We walked daily to the local coffee shop where he was the unofficial greeter.

He was a smart one, boundary-trained, until he snuck into the room. We didn't allow him on furniture in our house, but friends we visited numerous times over the years allowed him on their leather couches. When he stayed at my brother-in-law's, he got onto his leather sofa.

Rory was a few months shy of his 14th ​‌birthday. We didn't know the exact date, so Rhonda chose Valentine's Day.

May you be forever in our hearts.