Raggs was mean't to be, like her beloved friend and companion Gabbi. We went to see a Tricolour bitch. On our second visit there in the next puppy pen was a new litter, in it was a very pretty Blenheim bitch, as I cast my eyes in her direction I was told you can't have her, she was sold before she was born to another breeder. Every time I came to visit she would catch my eye and I would give her a cuddle, then when we came to pick Gabbi up, not the Tri as planned I said to her breeder, if for any reason you ever get her back I'll have her just give me a ring.
A month later we got a call to say that she had been to see how the little Blenheim was getting on and was appalled at her condition and had brought her home with her. She had already had her a week and was feeding her up but if I wanted to come and see her in another week we could. So a week later we arrived I knew I wanted her, we had spent hours deciding on a name, she was so pretty, so a pretty name was in order. When she was brought in to us we couldn't believe our eyes, she had been a playful puppy, with a rich chestnut colour and big sparkly eyes, before us was a nervous pale (almost) white puppy, dull eyes, thin, with a tail tucked tightly under her. We picked our chins back off the floor, looked at each other, I swallowed deeply, about to say thank you but no thank you, then she looked up at me, I crawled under the table to her and held her to tightly, as I said, can we take her home with us now please.
On the way home I just held her close to me, what had we done, what had we just bought. Gabbi very excited when we arrived back she had a friend and wanted to play but she just ran and hid, at last they snuggled up together on my lap, my beautiful plump glossy Black n Tan and this thin shivering scrap with her dull lifeless coat, poor little Ragamuffin, and so she was named. We called her Raggs, within a month she was transformed on the outside, her coat regain it's colour, her eyes began to twinkle and she learn't to play a little. She never recovered completely, we will never know what turned that beautiful confident little puppy into what we brought home only a month later.
So we set one fine day to buy a long awaited Tricolour Cavalier bitch, 12 weeks later we owned two, a beautiful confident Black n Tan and a loving devoted Blenheim, it was not until was 5 years later I owned my first Tricolour also through a strange quirk of fate.
All her life our little Raggs remained nervous, she didn't like to be left, became agitated and noisy if she lost sight of people poor Raggy, she and Gabbi were always so close and when eventually we increased our Cavaliers she remained slightly apart but very content in her own world as long as there was always one of us around for her. She loved people but it took a while for her to trust them, once she did they were friends for life. She loved her walks and her treats, unlike Gabbie she could eat a horse and never put on weight, she was a very contented little soul never asking anything in life except to love and be loved.
She did love with every fibre of her body, and she was loved with every fibre of ours. Rest in peace my little Ragamufin, enjoy your reunion with Pebbles, Hope, Ellie Mae and your very very special friend Gabbi. Run those lush green fields together, play as you never really learnt to here, wait at that Rainbow Bridge with them for us to join you all. As I look up at night I know that among those bright twinkling stars I see are the reflections of those wonderful ever devoted Cavalier eyes.
When the time is right for me to cross this brief divide,
You'll rush to greet me once again, we will stand side by side,
So many things to show me, there's much for me to see,
I will be patient, live my journey out ... but then come home,
to be with thee.
