We are sad to announce the passing of a longtime member of our Living Free kennel, Rio. Rio arrived at Living Free as a puppy in 2006 alongside his puppy friend Midge. Rio’s first adoption was without Midge, but this did not work out. He missed Midge and was so lonely that he would not eat, and returned to Living Free to once again be with Midge. 

Then in July of 2011, both Rio and Midge were adopted by Tim and Janine from Idyllwild. For several years, they lived happily with their new family which consisted of another dog, a Golden Retriever named Freyja. In July of 2018, a devastating fire came to Idyllwild.  The three dogs were placed in a shelter where unfortunately, Midge passed away. Rio and Freyja survived and were brought back to Idyllwild. Then in August, of the same year, Tim passed away.  Several months passed and Janine decided she could no longer keep Rio and Freyja. So, once again, in 2019, Rio came back to Living Free along with Freyja.  

About a month later, Freyja was adopted leaving Rio alone and grieving for his buddies and family. By now, Rio was twelve years-old and the staff, knowing that he did not like being alone, soon kenneled Rio with Triscuit. They enjoyed each other’s company and went on many walks together. In particular, volunteer Ann Morrison would dote on both Rio and Triscuit, brushing out their coats and giving them treats. 

In January of 2021 along came Julie Swain, who is a strong advocate for adopting/fostering senior dogs. Julie said, “I have two working dogs. Spencer, rescued as a 1-year-old, is now three and trained as a Search and Rescue Dog. His older buddy Luke, now ten, is also trained as a Search and Rescue Dog.  Luke was abandoned as a puppy at a truck stop, subsequently had seizures, so no one wanted a special-needs dog. I am always looking to have an older dog. I believe it is nice to give an older dog a few more years in a loving home.”

Julie, a Cardiac Surgeon, is the Vice Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York and runs their research program. She previously adopted a 10-year-old and an 8-year-old Rottweiler who both lived to age fourteen. Julie, Spencer, and Luke are members of the Southwest Search Dogs for the San Diego Police Department. They are also members of Search Dog Resources based in Riverside county and do searches for several cities in that county.

In January of 2021, Rio went home to live with Julie in San Diego. Julie shared, “It was a challenge to get him to eat.  He would not touch any of the dog food so at various times I would feed him poached chicken breasts, ground turkey, diced ham, canned tuna, liver, homemade liver pate, chicken baby food, and fresh cooked hamburger. Rio began walking a quarter mile twice a day and he loved it. Rio’s eating did improve, and he became bonded with ten-year-old Spencer and would not go on walks without him.”

In February, Julie said, “It was still touch and go with him.  Eating was still an issue. I tried everything, but he was still losing weight. Following a couple of vet visits, he was put on Thyroid medicine and an appetite stimulant. Everything was hand fed piece by piece. Rio continued to love his walks with his brothers and could walk for about 1.5 miles a day. He seemed happy being around people and dogs.”

By the beginning of March, Julie reported, “Rio was eating better. He became much stronger and was getting stubborn in a good way on his twice daily 1 -2-mile walks. He was happy with his two brothers. I took Rio and his brothers on what I call our ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ rides along the beach. Rio loved looking at the beach and water.”

Julie states, “Don’t buy dogs, don’t give up on a senior dog. I didn’t and neither did Rio.”

Many senior dogs languish in shelters. Many older dogs were once owned and loved by someone. For whatever reason, they were given up and abandoned in a shelter and needed a home. By adopting a senior dog, you are not only providing it with a better life but are also saving it from being euthanized.

Although a senior dog at Living Free receives care and is loved by staff and volunteers, this cannot begin to reach the level of love that an individual in a home can give. Please consider adopting or fostering senior dogs from shelters and rescue organizations. You will be rewarded beyond what you can imagine. 

Sadly, Rio passed away from complications on April 1st. We want to thank Julie for loving Rio and for all she did for him. Julie went above and beyond to help Rio have the best life in his remaining days. This very act of adopting a fourteen-year-old dog is a generous gift of love that can never be measured. It is too vast and everyone at Living Free is forever grateful that you reached out to bring Rio into your home.

We will miss you Rio.