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It is with great difficulty that we share that our wonderful Archie left us for the Rainbow Bridge on 3/12/15 after a brief battle with cancer. A few weeks after his first waterfowl trip to ND this previous fall, Archie was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma. His life here was much too short; the more we learned about this terrible disease and treatment options/outlook the sadder we became, but we were also grateful for every moment we’ve had with him during the past 4 years. He left this world peacefully, surrounded by those who loved him most in one of his favorite places; scanning out the back deck door for any rabbits or squirrels that had the nerve to enter his yard.
Archie was definitely a bird dog at heart and hunting was what he loved most. His drive was so great it was often difficult to get his attention off his pursuit, even for a brief photo moment. Many adventures were shared together - rides to the farm, swimming and boating at the lake, waterfowl and pheasant hunting, and runs and walks. He also enjoyed being a goofball around the house: playing with toys, helping Mom practice yoga, gnawing on bones, barking to have snow thrown in the air, wrestling with his fur-brother, and racing with the neighbor dog in high-speed loops around our backyards. His FM said it perfectly in the post above, he really was a big goofy sweetheart and that’s one of the things we’ll miss most. We don’t think Archie ever realized he was a 90+ lb. dog: in his mind, he was just a lap-dog as he snuggled in close, ever so gentle with a comforting “purr” of contentment. We weren’t sure how he would handle meeting his new little human brother, but Archie became his protector and the best brother he could be. Archie always confirmed his little brother was safe and tucked in to bed at night; only then was everything right in Archie’s world. In a perfect world they would have grown up together and become the best of friends, but it was not to be. His human brother was just learning to recognize which fur-brother was Archie, calling out “Aarrah” and smiling, only a few weeks before Archie passed. Archie will be missed greatly by his adopted human family and fur-brother Tucker, and he leaves a hole in our hearts that cannot be filled. We can still hear his particular collar jingle or that pace of his nails clicking on the wood floor (it wasn’t difficult to tell the two fur-brothers apart by sound alone; each moved in his own unique way); and we find ourselves still looking for him in his favorite places and listening for his nightly ritual of gnawing on a bone while we’re trying to fall asleep. He was a sweetheart until the very end; coming out to great Dad at the car upon returning from work that very last day, even though it took everything he had. We know now he’s in a good place and no longer in pain. Until we meet again, Archie will be waiting on the Rainbow Bridge, chasing his tail and doing his happy “awoooo woooo wooo”, with the look that says “what are you waiting for; we’ve got fun things to do!”
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