In memory of Kit.
Our beloved Kit has passed away suddenly at the age of 9 years and just 2 months old. He was our world and, we are utterly heartbroken.
Kit came to us after the death of our dear boy Barney, himself a rescue Ridgeback, aged around 13 years. We loved Barney so much that we knew that we wanted another Ridgeback, and when we discovered the RRWT we were delighted to be able to apply to re-home another deserving dog. We live in a very rural part of South West Scotland and there is no end to the fun a ridgie can have in the fields, forests, beaches, cliffs and the sea!
Imagine our excitement when, on Hogmanay 2020, the last day of a very testing year that saw the first major lockdown and the loss of our Barney, an email arrived from Clive with a picture of the most handsome, tall and proud male ridgeback. This boy was in need of love, care and nurture, and we knew that we were the very ones to provide it.
Kit previously lived in Kensington, belonging to owners who also took him to Monaco. Perhaps as a result of Brexit, the owners were relocating permanently and felt that Kit would be better suited elsewhere. He seems to have been walked by staff around the gardens of the Kensington policies. Clive shared an amusing story that when he and Ben went to fetch the dog, they could not find him anywhere. After much growing alarm, it was to discover that the boy had already jumped up and was settled in the tailgate of Clive’s car, ready for his new adventures!
And what adventures we had with our boy! He struggled with eye contact and was shy and reticent to begin with. Unused to the darkness of country living, he was scared to venture out at night, but he bonded with us immediately and was good as gold from the start. He was uncertain about leaving one’s side when out walking, having clearly only been used to lead walking, but his confidence grew and he learned that he loved to chase the ball, the stick, the deer. My goodness- could this boy move!
Kit was extremely sensitive. He arrived to us with quite concerning seasonal alopecia. We spent some time researching all manner of foods and remedies, and we discovered that coconut oil works a treat. Talking of treats - well, did Kit learn about the true meaning of life with us?! The poor boy was unused to being spoiled. He was more than a tad insecure and required constant reassurance- but this meant that cuddles were always available and he could lick you to death even if you’d been away for only an hour.
It became clear to us that Kit needed a playmate to help with his rehabilitation, and not two months later, we were lucky enough to be offered Pippin, a three-year-old soul who had experienced immense trauma. You may remember that Pippin managed to get free after only 8 days within our care and was on the run for 11 days. There was huge international support for her safe return with emails received from Canada, Australia and all across the UK. Thanks to a local dog rescue charity, we got her back and she went on to be the perfect sister for Kit whose calm and gentle nature reassured her that she was safe and out of danger. He always looked out for Pippin and he was very protective of her.
As the summer wore on, we decided that a puppy ridgeback would be the perfect addition to the household and that this might help Pippin’s maternal instinct. And so, 8 week old Fynn came to us from a trusted breeder in August that same year. So we started the year with no ridgebacks and by Autumn had three! As Fynn grew, he idolised his big brother. He would follow Kit everywhere and Kit taught Fynn so much. They would spend a long time “mouthing” in the kitchen and when one made overtures to chase a moving animal, the other would too. The boys helped Pippin as well and they grew to be a successful pack who loved each other so much. After the painful loss of Barney only a year earlier, our family was no complete.
With so many dogs in the kitchen, Kit was inevitably allowed upstairs to lie on my bed. He adored being wrapped up with blankets and he was the perfect companion for those cold winter nights. He also discovered the joy of the multi-fuel stove and he could stand so near the thing that we worried he would go up in flames! Like all ridgies, he could roll up into a tight ball in the sofa and when he was allowed through to the sofa, he would go straight to sleep, relaxed and secure.
On Thursday 2 May, Kit seemed perfectly healthy and fine but as the day progressed, he became increasingly unwell. He had an appointment for a vet examination but by 5.30 he had passed away as a result of bloat. It seems that his sensitivity may have been too much for him. We are bereft.
Kit was the perfect dog. He was handsome, loveable, loyal and so well behaved. He loved us dearly. You were not alone when he was there. Without him, the house is an empty void. We cannot begin to imagine that he has been taken from us so quickly and so suddenly. Pippin and Fynn do not understand where their brother has gone. We also have an older lab-terrier cross called Freya. We always thought that when she crosses the rainbow bridge, that Kit would be the one to help us with the grief. With his loss, we have learned that life does not occur the way you would expect it.
We will be eternally grateful to the RRWT for choosing us to have Kit, and to Clive and Ben for making the journey to deliver our dear, dear boy to us. We will always be grateful that his previous owners decided to have him re-homed. He was so happy with us and it's thanks to him that we have Pippin and Fynn whom we love so much. While we are devastated by his loss and cannot come to terms with the unfairness of it, we give thanks that he came into our lives and that we had the chance to provide the love, care, nurture and enrichment he so deserved.
Of course, there is now a vacancy for another lost soul. We hope someday that another Kit comes into our lives.
Thank you to all of the volunteers at the RRWT.
Dear Kit, our boy. Sleep tight. We love you. 💗