RIP my sweet Hailee/Houdini 1/28/2026

She arrived at my home with treats and toys in October 2023.  She was a senior dog, 8 years old, but she was a Rhodesian Ridgeback and I always try to help the Ridgebacks find homes.  Amazing dogs. My ex-husband introduced me to the breed and when I researched it, I decided it was a great dog.  Perfect for my lifestyle. Ridgebacks are calm and stoic – and yes, stubborn and need leadership.  I have rescued 5 RR since that time.  Well, four and one wannabee. Whenever one shows up (rarely) I try to give it a good home. 

Her owners were relocating to New Zealand, and the quarantine time for a dog was six months. They didn’t want to put Hailee through that with her advanced age. I got lucky and rescued her.

She fit in quite well with my pack.  I also had Harley, who was the Alpha bitch.  Harley and Hailee bonded quickly.  (Harley and Hailee – how silly is that? When I rescued Harley she was “Birdie.” Nope. Fixed that. But then Hailee came along. Ugh.) Harley was in charge and Hailee was fine with it.  Hailee was calm and quiet.  She never barked or growled once until I dog sat a Doberman a few months ago and she decided to put the Doberman in her place.  She finally got off the couch and herded my other dog Noelle and the Dobie into the kitchen – and finally barked.  It was a breakthrough. 

Hailee was a hoot – and an escape artist – she managed to break out of my house twice – once to end up inside a Burlington Coat Factory Store (1.5 miles away and crossing a lot of major streets) and another time to escape to get a pup cup at a local Starbucks.  So, she became “Houdini.” Those were not good days for me. I learned that RRs are sneaky and can break through shutters and bust through screens. Now that Hailee has passed I can replace the remaining plantation shutter slats that she liked to eat through to go on her romps.

I had to let go of Harley last year, when she finally failed at her struggles to wrestle with bone cancer.  After a valiant year, she gave up and I later welcomed Noelle (aka Moose) to my pack.  Noelle and Hailee bonded quickly.  They were both Beta dogs and quite polite.  “You eat first.”  “No, you go first.  Just let me know when you are done.”  Although Moose definitely is more of a foodie.  She would slam down her dinner before Hailee would wander to her bowl and look at it and say, hmm, not hungry yet. But I will get to it at some point. It was a daily task to watch the food bowls to make sure the Moose didn’t steal food from the Houdini.

Hailee was a kind, gentle pup and I am sad that I had to say goodbye to her yesterday.  Yes, she was a senior dog, 12 years old, and she was dealing with heart and kidney issues.  When I adopted her, she had a heart murmur.  Her prior owners fed her a grain free diet, which my friend/vet said is not good – it causes heart issues.  Just last weekend she was chasing a bunch of dogs at the park, so it’s stunning to see how quickly she failed.

I am wishing Hailee a good journey across the Rainbow Bridge – she was such a sweet pup and Moose and I will miss her.

Hug your dogs. Cuddle your cats. Cherish your critters. They are blessings and don’t get to stick around as long as we want them to.