Dear GRRIN, It is with a sad heart that I write to tell you that we lost our GRRIN golden Riley (97-39, formerly Pluto) over the summer. He was 14 years old. Riley was my first golden. I adopted him before I met my husband, and he was the reason we became so involved with GRRIN while we lived in Nebraska. Two years after adopting him, I met my husband & we adopted Sage (99-07). Sage and Riley were with us when we got married, stood by us through graduate school, accepted & loved our boys when they were born, and made the move from Nebraska to Maryland four years ago with no complaints. I am attaching some pictures of Riley during our winter storm last year. He loved the snow. Just this past spring, Riley was still chasing squirrels and rabbits-he even caught one in May. He started having trouble walking in late spring, and by the end of June, he was unable to walk on his own. Despite his discomfort, he would wag his tail and lick our faces when we came home each night. He even tried to play with Sage flat on his back while she circled him. Not quite the same as the “butt in the air” play, but for two old dogs, they were lovin’ it! We feel so fortunate to have had 13 years with Riley. He added more to our family than words can say. Thank you GRRIN for bringing such a warm, loving soul into our lives. Dana, Mark, Eli, Sam & Sage Van Bemmel
