Remembered

----- Original Message -----
From: Margo Biba
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 2:18 PM
Subject: #01-42 Clifford TBRD, sad news

 
Sad news from my sister, Joan Lush about #01-42 Clifford the Big Red Dog...
 
Joan phoned Monday night, 01/24/05 from the emergency clinic in Lewisville, TX near Dallas.  Clifford was with the emergency vets, with apparent bloat/torsion, where the stomach twists upon itself.  The vets confirmed that Clifford's stomach had indeed twisted badly.  Clifford was in distress, and taking into account the severity of the twisting and his advanced age & health issues, they elected to euthanize him that evening.  Thank goodness Joan realized the problem early on, so that Clifford was uncomfortable for only a short time.
 
Clifford was found stray in 1991, walking along the road in SW Austin.  He was tall & thin, polite & well mannered.  The family that found him had 3-year-old triplet daughters and he was wonderful with them.  The little girls named him.   Clifford's age kept advancing, the longer he was in rescue...at first we listed him as age 5, then 6, and then the adoption paperwork said 8...although I suspect he may have been even older.  So at his death, Clifford was age 11 or older. 
 
Clifford was heartworm positive when we found him, and GRR treated him before he was adopted.  Marsha & Barry Thweatt of Jarrell TX were his foster parents.  Joan & Bob Lush adopted Clifford, and he was wonderful with their young daughter Rachel.  Lush's also have #99-24 Artemis/Magnolia (Maggie) from the Greek Golden litter, along with two young Labs.  Maggie is the pretty blonde Golden in the photos...Clifford is the handsome dark red fellow.
 
This is what Joan wrote about Clifford, one week after his adoption:
 
M & M, 
   He's chewing up shoes, digging under the fence and barking endlessly.  (Not really.)  The truth is Clifford is wonderful.  He loves to play with our other golden Magnolia. He's walks nicely on a leash.  The Vet. says he's "stately." He grows lots of toe hair, and doesn't like having it cut.  He sleeps on our bedroom floor even after I've hoisted him up on our bed.  He did climb in bed one night during a thunderstorm.  I bought him a dog bed, but he prefers sleeping in the middle of the floor on the carpet.
    He doesn't get on the couch except last week during a thunderstorm he nestled in behind my legs.  He's not as skinny as he was when we first adopted him, but he's in no way fat.  He likes to lick his arms and the carpet.  He carries mouthfuls of dog food into the living room to eat his meals.  He says naughty things to Maggie everytime the food dishes are set out...which of course requires a response from Maggie of WOOF WOOF WOOF, then Clifford has to bark back, then they eat. 
    He follows me (or whomever is home) around the house.  He's very friendly to everyone.  Children are attracted to him because of his name, size and red coat.  He still loves cheese, ice cubes and carrots.  He wishes he had another one of those maple filled bones but I can't find him one.  (Marsha, where did you get that bone?  I think Santa Claus might be interested in picking some of them up.)  He eats an allergy formula dog food made out of venison, plus Science Diet light. 
    Clifford really loves us and we really love him.  He can smile, wag his tail really big and is good at keeping your feet warm.  He has saggy eyelids and a small cyst on the side of his head.  He loves having his throat and chin area scratched and leans his head way back to help you out.  His tail hair is very long and touches the floor.  He still has  "highlights" on his back legs and sides.  He doesn't really like being brushed with regular dog brushes or rakes (prefers hair brushes made for people.)
    He likes to put his paw on your leg or in your hand to get attention.  He loves to be hugged and rubbed.  Right now he's laying next to me on our med. green rug in a room that has a golden retriever wallpaper border.  Maggie is sleeping in the doorway. 
    We love our golden retrievers!!  Thanks for saving their lives.  :) 
It's time for bed...
Joan
   
p.s.  Our veterinarians have been very impressed with what GRR has done for Clifford, Magnolia and Shiner.

 

Clifford is an ~8 year old male. Clifford the Big Red Dog” was so named by the Good Samaritans that found him walking lonely beside the road.  They searched high and low and could not find the owners of this lovely gentleman.  They had 3-year-old triplet daughters who gave him the named of the fabled storybook dog.  It truly fits; Clifford TBRD is big, red and beautiful.  About age 8, he loves everyone and everything including cats and small children.  He gets this foster report:

“We have had Clifford for a little over a week now and he is a very extraordinary dog.  I'm sure whom ever raised him really misses him.  He is a perfect gentleman.  Cliff knows all commands, sit, down stay (but doesn't want to), here and is house trained.  Our first night home he would let me walk him to the crate but was not going to go in, so I let him stay out.  He slept on Barry's side of the bed -- Buffy stays on my side so there wasn't enough room for him.  Speaking of Buffy, she really likes Cliff, which means a lot in our house.  Usually Buffy will stay in the office looking out the window the entire time we have a guest but not this time.  The three of them love to run and chase each other in the back yard.  Cliff loves to follow us around the house and makes sure he is in the room with us.  I gave him his own new squeaky toy and he carries it around with his head held high.  Loves toys and tennis balls.  He is great on a leash!  Cliff has also learned to like baby carrots as we don't give Buffy or Jake doggie treats (Jake has too many allergies) and he catches them great.  He has not had even one accident.  But like our others is really glad to go out when we get home.  He is very thin and not putting on any weight yet.  I'm guessing some of this has to do with the heartworms.   He did great for his treatment and is looking forward to his new home. There is nothing more to say other than he is a WONDERFUL dog!”

 

 

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