Rufus

Rufus was my first Irish Setter, entrusted to me by Beatrice, Spirit of Indian Summer Kennel.  He came to join us in March 2014.

When I had made my decision that I was ready for a dog and it had to be an Irish Setter then my search began.  My search led me to Interlaken in Switzerland and to Beatrice Aemmer and her Spirit of Indian Summer Kennel.  She had recently bred the B-litter and there were a couple of boys still looking for a home.  We went to meet them and I was immediately in love with Rufus.  

Rufus was a wonderful boy, clever and keen.  He would put so much effort into everything he did.  I quickly learned that Irish Setter's like to push the boundaries, get their own way and can be stubborn as a mule if they don't want to do something. This is exactly how Rufus was but he did it with that air of aloofness yet cuteness that only an Irish Setter can.

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He travelled with us, moved house with us and was the very best family member. He brought joy to every aspect of my life. He was very in tune to my feelings and emotions and always knew when I needed a Rufus cuddle. 

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Rufus would live for his daily walks and love nothing better than finding a sunny spot, lying down and soaking it up.  As much as he loved the sunshine on his back, he hated the rain.  The snow would always bring out the puppy in Rufus, even as he got older.  He just loved to run through it and chase snowballs. But I think Rufus' favorite thing above any thing else was to swim!  We couldn't keep him out of the water and he'd swim and swim even if it was just around in circles. 

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Rufus was that first special dog who taught me so much and started my passion and journey.  To him I will always be thankful.

He lives on in my Spirit of Indian Summer boys, as Uncle to Charlie and George, Great Uncle to Henry and Great Great Great Uncle to Louis.

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When Rufus passed away my heart shattered into a billion pieces and I miss him every single day!  I would give anything to have just one more cuddle with him. We planted a rose at our UK house as a memorial to him.  The rose is a lovely Orange colour named "Indian Summer", very apt we thought. 

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