Davis' RB Story

Hi Rita –

Tim and I wanted to write and let you and Polly know that we had to help Davis cross over the Rainbow Bridge last night. He was 15 with his 16^th birthday coming up in March. Davis has been with us since 2007 when we picked him up in Kansas from Polly. He has been with us as we brought both of our kiddos home from the hospital, through a move, on the death of both Tim’s and my Mom, through my own cancer diagnosis last year – he’s been by our side through it all. He was always our steady – always patient, loving, loyal, protector. He was just the best boy. Our kids, Kai (11) and Leighton (7), adored Davis. He’s all they’ve ever known. 

We want you to know that he was surrounded by love here at home when we helped him cross. Everyone who met Davis loved him. We have a hole in our hearts the size of Texas and will mourn him for a while and miss him forever. We’ll be ready for another Vizsla at some point, and when we are, we will let you know. Thank you for trusting us and gifting us with Davis. He’s our angel.

On Wednesday, Dec. 8, we had to say goodbye to our sweet Davis Jones. He was 15 years old and was ours for 14 of those. We adopted Davis in 2007. Over the next few years, we learned a lot about him - he loved to run, hike, chase squirrels, eat shoes, leather couches, the siding on our house, and baked goods of ALL kinds. I cannot count the number of cookies, cakes, pies, cobblers, loaves of banana bread, etc. that this boy has eaten. As long as he could smell something on the counter, nothing was ever safe from Davis. Back when Tim was into homebrewing, Davis ate an entire bag of barley! I will save you the details of what happened next, but it wasn't pretty. 

Even though Davis was a large Vizsla with a bold bark, he was a total softie. He was very cuddly and in true “Velcro Vizsla” form, he always wanted to be right by us and always in on the action. For as long as we can remember, Davis would somehow curl his long legs and 65-pound body up into a tiny little spot on the couch so he could lay right beside us.

Davis was steadily by our sides during many of life's major events over the last 14 years. He was there when we brought both babies home from the hospital, through our move to a new home, many road trips, hiking trips, major losses in our lives, so many birthdays, and so much more. Ever present, ever patient, ever loving, ever protective of all of us. 

Everyone who met Davis loved him. He was so much a part of our family. He was our best buddy, a playmate, a running partner, a camping companion, a food thief, an alarm system, a guard dog, a pillow, a teddy bear, and so many other things. We have a huge hole in our hearts right now, but also so much gratitude that we got to be his forever family. 

All the way up until late this past summer, Davis was active and able to go on hikes and daily walks. In late July, he took a tumble down the stairs, severely hurting his back and impairing his mobility significantly. The vet prescribed steroids, which helped immensely. It was almost miraculous how he went from being essentially paralyzed to having his mobility back. But, over the next few months, he began falling more frequently and losing the strength in his hind legs. We were also told that he had dementia. On December 8, we helped Davis cross the Rainbow Bridge. He was surrounded by love and family. 

Davis, Davis Jones, “D”, Mr. D, Davey, Davey Dog, Davey Shavey – we love you forever. I hope you are running and playing with Harlie Bean and Wilson (our Vizsla babies who passed before him) - strong and pain-free - and eating as many baked goods as you want. You were the BEST boy. You will be greatly missed, but in our hearts forever. ❤️