My wife and I adopted Curby from an animal rescue along with Autumn, a female mix that was much older than he, but cared for him like he was her own puppy. Curby was just 6-9 months old. That was in Jan of 2006. We soon found out that he was born with bad hip dysplasia, but that never stopped Curby! His favorite toy all his life was a bright orange rubber ball, and his favorite game was “fetch”. We would play for hours non-stop and he would wear me out and still want more! And he loved playing hide-and-seek with his ball also. Curby and I developed a very special bond. My wife would always say “He’s YOUR dog!” -especially when he did something wrong :)
I was raised with dogs, and I’ve had dogs most of my life, and I really loved them all. But I have to admit, Curby was truly special. He found a way to reach places in my heart that no other ever did. Curby had the most amazing personality and intelligence of any dog I’ve known. He just seemed to know what I wanted him to do and he’d do it. Curby always wanted to please.
We were told by the vet early on that we shouldn’t expect him to live much past 8 or 10 years because of his hip dysplasia and his size and breed, so I guess I should feel lucky that I had 12 great years with him. But I’d give anything for another day with him. Curby had a good and happy life with lots of love. And I’m thankful that he shared that life with us. He is very sorely missed, and in our thoughts every day, and in our hearts forever.