The coincidental timeline between Ruffin and Griffin

All Rottweilers share similar qualities but each has a distinctly different personality. I know this for a fact having lived with so many for over 20 years.

More than a few people who have known Ruffin all his life and especially several long-time followers of this blog have commented to me how much Griffin reminds them of Ruff.

Ruffin and I had a special bond between us ever since the day I picked him up from his whelping box and brought him home. I am one of those dog people who always talks to my dogs and Ruffin and I had many conversations every day of his life. I can tell you that he was a great listener. I used to call him my Best Friend Forever, my BFF, and I knew he understood what I said. Not a day went by where we didn't share dozens of hugs and kisses. I used to get so many slobbering kisses from Ruff that I started telling people I had acquired Rottweiler DNA. We had a bond between us that made us seem inseparable. Until those few times we were when one of us was sick. In Ruff's 11 years of life we each had two hospital stays.

Something strange happened when Ruff died. For two souls that were so bonded together, I did not feel the depth of sorrow when he died like I did for the other Rottweilers who died before him. Then a few weeks later I began to understand why. I did not feel the sadness because Ruff had not gone too far away. Something was keeping him here. Then I started piecing together the timelines.

The Pawsitive Warriors of New Carlisle, Ohio Rescue Group told me last night that Griffin (Bruno) was surrendered to them for adoption on August 22^nd the day before Ruffin died. Griffin wasn't abandoned or mistreated, he was raised in a loving home. He was surrendered to the rescue group by the adult children who thought he was getting too big for their Grandmother.

After Ruff lost his eyesight he became even closer to me than he was before. We would share dozens of hugs and kisses every day just so he could recharge his batteries. I am certain that when I went into the hospital he thought his world was coming to an end but he must have known I would be coming back to him. The day I came home he seemed to have come back to life. He was so filled with joy to have more hugs and kisses from me.

The timeline looks a lot more coincidental when all the dates are placed together.

On August 19th, two days after I went into the hospital, the babysitter told me that Ruffin had stopped eating and wouldn't come out of the bedroom.
On August 21st, two days before Ruff died, I came home from the hospital. 
On August 22nd Griffin (Bruno), a 15-month old intact male Rottweiler, was surrendered to the adoption group. Just a side note but Ruffin was still intact when he was the same age. On the same day Ruffin became sick again.
On August 23rd at 5:45 AM Ruffin died in his sleep. I stayed next to his side that night and laid down on a mattress on the floor next to him to keep him company and let him know I was there.

The day after I got home I took Ruff in to see our Vet and I asked her if Ruff was going to die. She told me that he would tell me when. I know Ruff must have realized it was his time but he managed to hold on until he found me a replacement.