Yesterday was a very difficult day as we lost a dear friend and family member, Colby. Colby was a 150 pound Rottweiller we got about 5 years ago from the SPCA. We really aren’t sure how old Colby was when we got him, or why someone would give up such a great dog but we welcomed him into our family.
I would love to tell you that I am my wifes best friend, but in truth I was always a close second. I don’t mind though, Colby loved her as much as I do, with everything he had.
The first night we got Colby home, he started throwing a toy up in the air and catching it as it fell. I thought he was crazy, but looking back I know he was happy to be a part of our family and was showing it.
Rottweillers sometimes get a bad reputation but like all dogs, this stems from a bad owner not a specific breed. Colby was the most gentle dog I have ever met. He would let my wife do anything to him and most recently our other dog Ruba.
Ruba is suffering from a brain tumor and can’t see anymore. She would walk, step and fall on Colby and he would just lie there and wait for us to get her off of him. I sometimes would get a little frustrated with her when she doesn’t listen. I like to think of myself as patient, but Colby was far more patient than I am.
We would go to Lewes, DE and stay at a little B&B called the Lazy L (We highly recommend it!). We really enjoyed our times there, but I would like to tell you about two times in particular.
The first is about Colby as a defender. In the group area of the the hotel, a young man came out near where my wife was sitting. He had a knife with blood on it. Colby immediately protected my wife, not by attacking the young man. He growled and moved him into the corner. Once my wife, let him know she felt safe, he went back over and laid down. The knife had fish blood on it as the young man had been fishing. Now if you knew Colby, he would never have hurt anyone except in defense of his family.
The second story is when we went to the beach and Colby first saw the ocean. Colby saw the waves moving forward to meet my wife and barked to scare them back. This video was shot shortly after that. Each time a wave would come in, he would bark at it and it would retreat.
So here are just a couple of the lessons Colby taught me. Enjoy your time with family and friends with everything you have, and show them how much you enjoy being with them. Throw a toy up in the air and catch it!
Be patient with everyone, but especially the ones you love when times are difficult. Don’t strike back when someone hurts or steps on you.
Love with everything you have got. Colby’s 150 pound frame could barely contain his even larger heart.
In the end, Colby loved with everything he had and that’s how we loved him.