Rainbow Bridge Memorial

Dearly missed by Steve and Suzanne Russert

 Austin was one of 10 puppies from a racing kennel who were put up for adoption shortly after their birth – turns out, a gate was left open, so they could not be sure of the bloodline of the puppies, which is apparently required for racing. I detoured a business trip through Dallas-Fort Worth and picked Austin up when he was three months old. His name came from a baby names book because the rescue home was overwhelmed with 25 dogs at the time and just couldn’t think up names fast enough, and though we expected to change it, the name stuck.

Austin was a bit of a rogue when he was young, and although he didn’t chase rabbits at the track, he made up for it with the neighbor’s chickens when he escaped the yard – an episode he barely survived (and only because my blind brother-in-law always walked Austin, so they figured he was a service dog). Austin loved everybody, and children loved him. Our granddaughter would walk along with her arm across his back – right at her shoulder height.

Austin loved the couch, and it was revealed after his passing that he slept on the bed with our friend who house-sat for us when we were gone! With that sweet big-eyed look, who could resist? Austin slowed down and had kidney problems his last year, but Rimadyl and other meds kept him going pretty well until this summer. Finally his legs just couldn’t support him any more and we had to let him go. Austin is greatly missed; we constantly come home and look expectantly for his friendly greeting.