Rigby
Date of Passing: 09/01/2026
Message to Rigby: Rigby, there are no words for how much joy and love you brought to our lives, and how much our hearts our hurting without you. You were the bravest, sweetest boy right to the end—we are so proud of you. While we are crying over our last bites of toast that we can't give you anymore and looking sadly at your lonely toys, we hope you are frolicking in heavenly fields with all your friends and family who went before you. We've heard you can always catch frisbees on the fly in heaven, and there are always onlookers to admire your athleticism and grace (we know you loved to put on a show). It may be a long time from now, but we promise when it's our time to come join you, our first stop will be finding you to stroke your perfect ears and kiss your perfect head and sink our fingers into your perfect ruff. Until then, know that we'll be missing you every day. We love you sweet boy <3
Tell us about Rigby: From the moment we laid our eyes on this photo of this teeny, dapper puppy, we fell completely in love. We got to meet all four puppies in his litter, but 'Riddles' with his little tie was our guy from the start. He tugged at our shoelaces and tumbled into our laps as we sat on the floor, while his siblings ignored us entirely to play with each other. We took him home and named him Rigby, and the next ten and a half years were filled with indescribable love, joy, and laughter.
Rigby contained multitudes—athletic and goofy, affectionate and aloof, playful and serious. He radiated intensity and intelligence and was simply bursting with life. You never had to guess how he was feeling, and whatever emotion he was expressing, it was hard to resist contagion. To see him joyfully romping around the park with a stick in his mouth was to experience joy yourself (and of course to see him Stressed at the vet was to be Stressed yourself). He was simply too smart to be trapped in a dog's body. That intelligence was often a double-edged sword, but Rigby was so loyal and committed to making us happy and he grew into a very well-behaved boy. His recall earned us compliments from strangers and he loved to show off his party tricks, as long as you had a worthwhile treat in your hand.
Rigby was truly a one-of-a-kind dog. He kept our friends and family laughing, because it is very silly for a dog to hate the record player, or to freak out when you light a candle or answer the phone (we had to start answering the phone as if we were already mid-conversation, because a classic greeting would set him off and make a phone call impossible). Sometimes these quirks felt hard to manage and were inconvenient, but they were also an invitation to learn about how Rigby experienced the world, and allowed us to get to know him so well and form a very special bond with him. We learned how to advocate for him and set him up for success. Caring for our sweet boy was the most rewarding and fulfilling experience we've ever had.
Last summer Rigby was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We were devastated, but in the very blessed position to be able to have Rigby undergo radiation therapy to give him more time. It was a very hard few weeks, but he was a hero. Our hearts broke all over again when he tore his CCL two months after finishing radiation, an injury we could not and would not address with surgery after everything he had already been through. He showed us just how tough and resilient he is—just days after the tear he was in our yard, begging for us to kick the soccer ball for him. It took him a few months, but in time he was back on all four legs, moving and grooving like nothing had ever happened. There were plenty of downs mixed in with the ups, but Rigby's Bonus Year was filled with golden memories, immeasurable joy, frequent laughter even through tears, and a truly ungodly number of treats of all kinds. He was so generous, and gave us 15 more months after his diagnosis.
When it became clear his brain tumor was growing again and causing symptoms we couldn't ask him to bear, we knew it was time to let him go out on top. He had a perfect last day, and with the compassionate help of A Gentle Goodbye, he went on to the Other Side peacefully, surrounded by his favorite people, in a comfortable, familiar, safe place. We are heartbroken and miss him so much it hurts, but we are so grateful that he was our boy and that we could know him and love him for the 10+ years that we did.