01/29/2025
My world has turned dark.
On Sunday at sunset, our beloved Rover dawg crossed the rainbow bridge🌈🐾 We had a beautiful last day walking on the dikes Rover has been on since he was a pup. He had a great time, the smile on his face and his little front paws in the stroller swinging was just the cutest thing. Onto the mountain where he was set to rest by a bubbling brook on a trail we made together. His favourite place to be. Big thank you to Jan and Nicole for granting my special request and for making his last moments peaceful memories I can hang onto forever❤️
My Rover dog was not just any dog. He is a dog of legends like Balto, Tin tin, Lassie, Toto, Buck and Hatchi. Put them all together and maybe just maybe they might amount to what my Rover dog was.
Rover was my everything. He was the reason I started Dirty Dog Adventures 15yrs ago and is why I was so successful rehabilitating dogs. With Rover by my side we could accomplish anything. I was scared and intimidated when starting my business, because it’s a little different and more challenging than typical dog walkers. All of that didn’t matter with Rover in the pack. With my best friend at my side and willing participant to help fix the broken and damaged dogs in the world. That was all I needed to get my hiking boots on. I could throw anything at Rover and he knew exactly what to do to help. Here’s a reactive 120lb Doberman or an extreme fear based Chihuahua that wants to eat the Doberman that’s on the same hike as her. We had a bond that didn’t need hand signals or call commands. Most of the time out running in the mountains watching the pack run and see something that needs correcting. All I would have to do was look at Rover beside me and give a nod to correct. Best damn working dog there ever was and ever will be on my mountains. I’ve worked with hundreds of dogs and not one was as connected as my Dirty Dog Rover.
Ever since Rover touched water he fell in love with it:) That was his favourite place to be. Beach dog, River dog, Puddle dog, Lake dog, Pool dog, Ocean dog anything that involves water he’s in. Anytime we went down to the river or lake he would charge off ahead and go sit in the water waiting for us. Then it’s stick time, he was a diver so would love pulling up the sunken trees onto the shoreline and be like…”are you gunna throw it?” Me “hell no!” lol He could swim for hours and hours. We would go out in a dingy and he would swim circles around us or stand in the current up to our knees at Coquitlam river and he would just shred water beside us. We would grab his harness every now and again to give him a break but he would pull away and just keep swimming:) I loved his his stick fetching in the river. We would throw a stick in the current and he would have to follow it and find it before it rushed away. If he didn’t see it we would throw rocks by the stick and he would find it immediately. He was so fast in the river he looked like a gazelle/dolphin bouncing around like a goof ball:) He sure did love his sticks, if that’s what you wanna call them. More like trees, the bigger the better. Rover would pick up a stick at the turn around point on hikes and fall in right behind me knowing the hike is coming to an end, carrying his tree all the way back to the truck;) He was so strong, but also graceful with such a big stick weaving in and out of the trees with ease staying at my heal.
Rover was our family’s protector. One of the things Rover naturally has done since he was a pup was protect the kids. Whether it be in the house, yard or mountain Rover was always on the job. On trails when the kids were little and ran too far ahead we would send Rover. He would b-line it up to them, get in front and road block them in. They would be happy to see Rover and pet him but also understood they were too far. One of these times we look and the boys had managed to get up a huge bolder that had a two story cliff face that they popped theirs heads over to say hi. In a blink Rover scaled the cliff face and was at the boys pushing them back off the cliff to safety Wow! Hero dog for sure. When the kids were little and had friends over playing in the front yard, the parents would come to pick up their child and see them playing with Rover and the boys all happy…then they decide to unlatch the gate lol It’s just not our kids Rover will protect it’s your kids too.
When Cherry came along he had a new little sister to protect. He loved her from day one his little adventurer that followed him around everywhere and had no problem keeping up with her fire cracker energy. Good thing she didn’t grown much because Cherry loves her cuddles with Rover and she would lay right on top of him if it suited her the best. I only wish he taught her a few manners but Cherry had other plans for that. I guess he let her pass because she was cute and a family pack member. Sookie was his first love, she’s a dog we board regularly but after 10yrs of boarding every other weekend she is family. Holding hands on the kitchen floor and laying beside him outside on the deck were her favourite places to be:) He welcomed Hunter into our home, one of his favourite pack buddies ended up being one of his brothers for far too short of a time, but they enjoyed their pool time together and always shared the same stick that was more like a piece of firewood. Rover was good with all animals. Our ferret Bubba loved him and would nuzzle up and sleep with him. Our cat Lily who had never been around dogs at 17yrs but tolerated Rover, and chose to remain sitting on the bed if he came into the room. His calm energy was absolutely amazing. He showed me how even in stressful extreme situations it’s very important to remain calm. I have him to thank for that.
Rover has always been amazing with the boys. Even that Tyrannosaurus rex phase where he ate all the baseboards, kitchen chair legs, steps and landing, pulled the whole top of the bed covers into his kennel then pi**ed on our band new bed, mouthy AF 6months old phase. Where I then took on training him because of all the Cesar I was watching. He was always golden with the boys and would be calm and good around them, that was always my best argument. Never really got over the crazy tho, loved eating sparks at the fire out camping and jumping at the sky for sunspots where he could entertain himself for hours lol We went on 10 mountain adventures a week and I still had to throw a ball around on the weekends for him. Gosh darn do I ever miss that energy out on hikes. Some dogs can compare but lack control. Rover could stop and pivot on a dime. Clear horse jumps at 12yrs old while me and Chad were chatting in front of it wondering if he would still be able to do it. Most agile dog on the mountain in his day. I mean he had to keep up with me, and this amazing idea that I put into motion of my dream job helping dogs make friends. No limits right Rover? Our dream was to believe in the impossible, because I believe in the impossible. Hiking a pack of 8 dogs off leash alone in the mountains is not a regular day job. Throw in muzzles and extreme fear based dogs that have never touched grass before and it makes it even more interesting, but it’s not impossible. It’s actually pretty fun, and hella rewarding to watch dogs become dogs again and shed the invisible baggage that humans set upon them. Rover was my buffer into the k9 world, I could communicate what I need and he would follow through to them, or just naturally do Rover and I would learn from him. He was an amazing teacher in body language and time to act.
I learned a lot from him that I will be forever grateful for.
Words cannot express how much I miss him💔 This pain, this ever so engulfing dark, empty hurt that creeps deep into my soul. I know all the comfort words and all the things to say like “the sharpest grief, comes from the deepest love” I know all those things but it still doesn’t help. There is no magic button that can ever take it away. I know this I’ve loved and lost many and yes I do love all my Dirty Dogs like my own, but…
I love and miss you so much Rover💔🐾😢 I miss the touch of the tips of your ears, grazing my hand down the bridge of your nose, the look in your eyes as I scratch under your chin, the touch of your soft fluffy coat that never needed grooming, and the way you where always at my side whenever we were together. Even when I retired you off the mountain the way you greeted me at the door running to me then running to tell everyone I’m home then back to me tail just a going with a skip to your step. Even at 17.5yrs old still so much light in those eyes when I look at you. Thank you for believing in the impossible with me and making my dreams a reality. I couldn’t have done it without you😘🐾 I’ll be strong and make you proud by continuing our dream, you just do me one last favour okay? You tell all my rainbow Dirty Dogs I say hi and give any new rainbow Dirty Dogs the best welcome a dog could ever get Rover style! 🌈🎊🌈
Ain’t no other dog like our Rover Dawg
I love you Rover😘🐾🌈
