My Dog Rebel

 Rebel the good boy, my best friend passed surrounded by family on 8/2/19.  He could no longer walk.   Neuropathy end up crippling him.  

It was 2009.  We had put down our dog Rain a couple years earlier and Kota was getting old.  Lakota was her full name.  A strong name for such a strange little dog.  She snorted, had oily fur and high anxiety.   She was a sweetheart but unfortunate in so many ways.  

We had recently moved to Colorado.  We bought a new home.  Bre joined our family.  I was losing weight and I set my goals on exploring the state and her mountains.  I wanted a dog to explore with me.  I wanted a Weimaraner for a while.   We looked at breeders and found one we felt good about.  We requested a girl.  However there were only two girls in the liter and they wanted to keep the one we were supposed to get for breeding.  Our option was the runt!   He wasn’t a runt to us.  He had sad blue eyes and big ears.  He was just like me I suppose.  We loved him.  He was ours.  

I was young in my career and very lucky to land with a great company.  I brought Rebel to work with me every day for 7.5 years.  When he was a puppy he sat on the laps of the ladies in customer service.  As he grew older he moved into the warehouse.  I could write stories for days but the short of it was he spent most of his time desperately searching for me or pooping on the floor.  I think we were all taking bets when he would poop on the floor.  It was generally 5 minutes after i brought him in from going to the bathroom or when i left on a lunch meeting.  He was raised by all the good people at KBCo.  Everyone who worked there has their own story about Rebel.

When he was about 15 months old I took him to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to climb Humboldt Peak.  I was fairly new to climbing 14ers and backpacking.  We left after work on Friday in September.  Half way to Lower South Colony Lake I had to turn on my headlamp.  This was an adventure for both of us and I couldn’t be happier to have Rebel as my companion.  We got to a campsite in the dark.  I had his coat, mattress and water bowl.  I set up our tent and we went inside to sleep.  It was a chilly night and he was cold.  I pulled him into my sleeping bag and I zipped us up.  It was not as planned but it was a moment that bonded is forever.  

The next morning we woke up to a beautiful view of the Crestones.  It’s a spectacular mountain range, a favorite of mine til this day.  Rebel woke up and looked all around.  We were experiencing things for the first time together and it was special.  We started up towards Humboldt, which is the easiest 14er in the range.  When we got to saddle i was so happy.  I was so proud of Rebel.  We snapped a pic.  This was my dream.  The summit of Humboldt is full of manageable boulders.  500 ft from the summit though it was clear Rebel wouldn’t be able navigate the boulders.   We turned around.  I wasn’t going to risk him hurting himself.  In retrospect maybe this was the first sign of his neuropathy.  He wasn’t going to be my mountain companion but we were bonded for life.  I was his alpha.  He was my best friend.  

He was a wild young dog.  When I ran my first 50k Meg and I saw a couple with a Weimaraner.  They told us Weims were crazy for the first 5 years. Then they have 3 years where they are good and then they get crazy again.  Ha, pretty accurate.  

Rebel, aptly named, wouldn’t respond to his name for a long time.  Somehow I discovered that if I made a bugle noise he would come running like the most loyal hound dog.  In the warehouse, that meant turning corners like Kramer.  When he got to me he was so happy, and so was I.   

He was exuberant.  Too much.  He jumped up on a bed and gave my my poor mom a concussion.  He was too energetic when he met people.  He would not bite but he would nibble.  Never malicious.  Meg repaired more than a few screen doors because he ran through them.  He had his flaws but so did I.  I loved him for that too.  

We drove to and from work every day.  He sat shotgun.  When Rebel sat shotgun he was all business.  I could rub his chest but he wasn’t interested in sweet time.  He’d look at me every once in awhile and he felt like were peers.  I would laugh but I was good with that.  Why not?  He had a perspective I loved.   I could have done without the barking every time we passed the Christmas lit reindeer though.  

Rebel hated motorcycles and freight trucks.  He hated storms.  He knew they were coming and he couldn’t be consoled.   He didn’t like aggressive dogs.  He seemed to be able to sense bad people.  That was it.  That was all he didn’t like.  What a good boy.  

Rebel loved to hike.  He loved to camp.  He loved to run.  The funny thing about when we ran was he wouldn’t want me to be sweet with him.  He was on an adventure.  He would look at me with a look that told me thank you.  He would smile.  He would squint his eyes and feel the warmth of the sun.  Damn, it made me feel good.  It made me so happy.  Those were AWESOME times.  

He would only lay down on a dog bed, couch, bed or lap.  He would sit on the back of our couch like a cat.  When we camped he had to sit on my lap.  We thought this was his goofiness and it was but it was also his neuropathy.  

He was so good with our babies.  Brady and Ryder came around.  He was a wild dog but he knew these were his pack.   He endured a lot of abuse and love from those little guys.  He would look at me with eyes that said a million words when they climbed on them.  He knew they were mine and in extension his.  He was so good.   Sweet, caring, loving and patient.  I loved him more every day.

Eventually KBCo ended and we shut our doors in a consolidation.   I got a severance and we spent a lot of time together running.  It was a stressful time for me but I loved those runs and so did Rebel.  I landed a job and I couldn’t take him with me.   This was a first for both of us.  We were always together.  I haven’t spent more time with anyone or anything the last 10 years. Our hearts and souls were connected in a special way.  

Things got bad pretty quick for Rebel.  He couldn’t walk.  Meg and I carried him from bed to yard and downstairs to upstairs.   He fell when he tried to go to the bathroom.  He ate little and we had to give him ice cubes.  He couldn’t shift his body.   He spent his last night in our bed.  He didn’t move that night.  He spent his last 24 hours surrounded by family and he was at peace.   We put him down at home as a family and we cried as a family as his heart stopped.   Damn it.    

When I came home from work it was as if I came home from war.  He greeted me as if we were apart forever.   I would rub his neck.  He would cry out with joy.   I was so blessed.  He really was my best buddy.   When I come home from work on Monday he will not be there.  He never will be again.  It's hard to imagine that being true.

Rebel came around at time in my life when Meg and I were growing our family and experiencing so many firsts.  I needed Rebel  He was a part of our family.  Thank you sweet boy.  I love  you.  I’ll miss you forever.