On July 1, 2006 we brought home a beautiful yellow Labrador whom we named Rhumbline's Strike the Rate, Striker to us. We entered the world of puppydom, having not had one in 15 years.
Time (and advancing age) had erased the memories of how much energy a 7 week old takes. And yet we endured and loved every minute of his growth because he was such a great dog. You just knew that when all the craziness was gone, he was going to be that "perfect dog for us".
Unfortunately we will never have the chance to know our Striker as a grown dog. On December 2 our active and inquisitive pup died of injuries he received when he licked the paper shredder in our home office. We were horrified and stunned by his passing, especially in the horrific way that he left us. In our grief, we chose to become proactive. We have already touched a huge number of lives through my affiliation with a large group of educators and have informational flyers being distributed from upstate New York across long island (our home) in New Jersey, Maryland and No Carolina. Pet shops and veterinary hospitals are displaying them too. People, who have heard Striker's story, go home to unplug their shredders and to contact others that they know who have dogs. I believe with all my heart that Striker has already saved some other dog from harm and a family from heartache.
I know that by telling his story we can continue to keep others safe. In this way, his death was not in vain.
