Ranger my love.....

Ranger was the first, and so far only, Pembroke Welsh Corgi I have ever owned. I had never even heard of the Corgi before I found him.

Though there were always dogs around my family growing up, we were all about "muts". So I was not versed on all the cool dog breeds out there. I mean sure I had seen different ones, after all I did own a World Book encyclopedia set.

Credit: Pinterest

But I remember when I saw that super cute puppy, with the pointy ears and the long hot dog looking body, I fell in love. He was missing his tail, something I know breeders like to remove from these sweet guys (That always makes me a bit sad, but I am going to assume its like piercing the ears of a baby girl....they will never remember anyway). He was just so happy to see me there was no way I could not take him home.

I am happy to say he did not come from a pet store. I had a pet store puppy once and I think he must have been the product of a brother and sister cause he was a super dummy. This guy, he was smart as a whip, you could see it in his eyes.

Once I got him home and introduced him to his new daddy and brother it was time to pick a name. I am a Disney lover, and so the goal was a Disney themed name. At that time my son was really into this Buzz Lightyear cartoon. So he wanted "Buzz Lightyear Rescue Ranger". We agreed but said we could call him Ranger for short.

Credit: http://blosc.wikia.com/wiki/Team_Lightyear

We had so much fun with that dog, and he was game for anything. Here he is dressed as "Captain Jack Sparrow"

He was a happy dog, and he made us all very happy too. Unfortunately when I divorced he got to go with his "dad", but to be fair I got to keep our 2 legged son so...

I was still able to visit with him mostly since I was his unofficial groomer. If there is ONE thing negative I can say about Corgis its that they go through two "blow seasons" a year (where they shed their undercoat). Have you ever seen the fur a bunny pulls off itself to make a nest for her babies? Well that what this blow fur looks like...but its tons and tons of it. I mean you sit there in awe wondering where it is all coming from.

Credit: Puppymatters.com

Our beautiful Ranger only lived for a short 6 years. Sadly he got some sort of rare blood infection and he had to be put down. He died just a few months before my little girl was born, so she never got to meet him. But the strangest most cool thing happened a few years later.

I took her over to her brother's dads house ( yes I could have said "my EX's" but the other way was more fun), and as soon as she walked in she started talking about the "doggie". There was no dog there, and had not been one since Ranger died. I love to think it WAS Ranger, his sweet little spirit, there to play with my little girl, and finally get to say hello.