RIP Rufo

Rest In Peace, Rufo

Rufo, Rufe, Rufus T. Maximus, "Big Boy", black and grey Akita
with white
feet, tailtip, and throatpatch, born "Socks" in February 1993,
first
owned by someone who left him half-starved to DC Akita Rescue,
adopted
by Aleta Jackson who gave him his real name and his first good
home,
then "temporarily taken care of" when impossible circumstances
hit Aleta
in November 1995 by Henry Vanderbilt (relevant quote a few
months later:
"I see you two have bonded.") Rufo feared neither man, beast,
nor
machine - he once threatened to eat a reigning King of Atenveldt
(not a
post attained without considerable martial skill), he
acknowledged no
dog in creation as being bigger (despite the facts on occasion
being
much to the contrary), and he reached the end of his days
without his
firm position that he was also bigger than any eighteen-wheeler
truck
ever being disproved (largely due to considerable attention
being paid
by his human sidekick to avoiding tests of that theory, true.)
Bluff
aside (in twelve years and one month, he never laid serious
tooth to any
living being), Rufo was the gentlest brightest most amiable
eager-to-
please 3/4 inch fang 110-pound carnivore you could ever hope to
meet,
the world's largest fur-covered creampuff where cats, small
children,
and pretty girls were concerned.

Rufo had been getting gimpy and less outgoing in recent years,
chiefly
concerned with leisurely walks around the neighborhood and
sleeping in
the sun, past being up for his youthful regimen of chewing
through
gates, midnight sprints through the neighborhood, SCA wars and
fighter
practices, SF conventions, space conferences, and close to
30,000 miles
of cross-country car rides (he'd hung his head out in the breeze
and
startled passersby in at least twenty-five of the fifty
states.) He
succumbed to advanced stomach cancer, giving little sign of
anything at
all wrong until just a few days before the end - he was always a
stoic,
seldom acknowledging any pain short of the overwhelming. He was
amiable
and affectionate right up to the end. He will be much missed.

If you never knew him, you missed one of the finer dogs that's
ever
been. If you did know him and have memories of him, please
share them
in whatever forum you come upon this. To all the people who
were kind
to him over the years, my heartfelt thanks.

Henry Vanderbilt
8:08 pm mst
March 7th, 2006

Henry Vanderbilt wrote:
If you did know him and have memories of him, please
share them in whatever forum you come upon this. To all the people who
were kind to him over the years, my heartfelt thanks.

I'm very sorry, Henry.

http://www.transterrestrial.com/arch...86.html#006586

http://www.transterrestrial.com/arch...86.html#006586

Well said. One of the drawbacks of being mainly a virtual member of
this club (for whatever value of club) is that I didn't ever meet
Rufo, or even know that Henry had a dog.

On Wed, 08 Mar 2006 04:22:31 GMT, Henry Vanderbilt
wrote:

This is a ****ing waste of bandwidth

In article ,
Henry Vanderbilt wrote:

Rest In Peace, Rufo

Rufo, Rufe, Rufus T. Maximus, "Big Boy", black and grey Akita
with white



I'm very sorry for your loss. One of the great sadnesses of life is that
our dogs do not live as long as we do.

wrote in message
...
On Wed, 08 Mar 2006 04:22:31 GMT, Henry
Vanderbilt
wrote:

This is a ****ing waste of bandwidth

Considering the signal to noise ratio of sci.space.policy now days after
most of the non-kooks have abandoned ship, that comment is almost
amusing.

I never met Rufo, but it seems to me he was far more of a productive
member of the alt.space community than the vast majority of people who
hang out here.

Pete.

wrote in message
...
On Wed, 08 Mar 2006 04:22:31 GMT, Henry Vanderbilt
wrote:

This is a ****ing waste of bandwidth

Henry did not write that. You would be ill advised to repeat that
insult in person.

Wallace Berry wrote:

:In article ,
: Henry Vanderbilt wrote:
:
: Rest In Peace, Rufo
:
: Rufo, Rufe, Rufus T. Maximus, "Big Boy", black and grey Akita
: with white
:
:I'm very sorry for your loss. One of the great sadnesses of life is that
ur dogs do not live as long as we do.

Yeah. I know how you feel. It's been a rough year for dogs,
apparently. I lost my Elkhound on Christmas day. I was out of town
visiting family.

I still miss him.

--
"I'll learn to work the saxophone.
I'll play just what I feel.
Drink Scotch whisky all night long
And die behind the wheel."
-- "Deacon Blues", Steely Dan

wrote:
: On Wed, 08 Mar 2006 04:22:31 GMT, Henry Vanderbilt
: wrote:

: This is a ****ing waste of bandwidth

No it isn't you fool! Anyone that has lost a dog (I have!) will tell you
that it is like (hell, it is!) losing a member of your family.

Go get some sensitivity training before coming back as no one wants to
hear from you...

Eric

"Fred J. McCall" wrote in message
...
Wallace Berry wrote:

:In article ,
: Henry Vanderbilt wrote:
:
: Rest In Peace, Rufo
:
: Rufo, Rufe, Rufus T. Maximus, "Big Boy", black and grey Akita
: with white
:
:I'm very sorry for your loss. One of the great sadnesses of life is that
ur dogs do not live as long as we do.

Yeah. I know how you feel. It's been a rough year for dogs,
apparently. I lost my Elkhound on Christmas day. I was out of town
visiting family.


Close friend of mine just had to put her companion to sleep. Very rough on
her.



I still miss him.

--
"I'll learn to work the saxophone.
I'll play just what I feel.
Drink Scotch whisky all night long
And die behind the wheel."
-- "Deacon Blues", Steely Dan