Adopted

Rebel died of the bloat. A quick & painful affliction with no known cause where the stomach bloats and twists, cutting off circulation. On Monday morning, he didn't greet Donna when she went downstairs to let the dogs out. Donna knew immediately something was wrong. Rebel walked outside to his favorite spot between two trees on our hill overlooking the Smoky mountains and laid down in the sun to die. He knew what we didn't. After a call to vet, Donna knew it was life threatning & Rebel needed immediate medical attention. Rebel did manage to get up for her and walk up the hill and into the car. His last steps. At 110 pounds, Donna could never have carried him. Rebel died of cardiac arrest at the University of Tennessee while being prepped for surgery. We just ran out of time...

Though his size and breed made Rebel intimidating, he was the sweetest dog & loved everyone. He never once even growled. His favorite toys were his orange ball and the laser pointer. He'd chase that red dot all over the yard & house. He was very sensitive and never got over the passing of his first playmate 'Lady Bear'. Rebel even had his own prescription card at Walgreens. Rebel was estastic when we got him a puppy 'Rhett Butler', a minature schnauser. We are still amazed at how gentle Rebel was with Rhett... Rebel and I used to play tug-of-war until the day he nipped my finger when readjusting his grip on the rope. No damage, just hurt for a while. After that, Rebel would not touch the rope again no matter how hard I tried to get him to tug on it. The day Rebel died, I was traveling. I never got to say goodbye to our beloved pet & family member. Rebel will be missed.

Residences

2002 - Fredericksburg, Virginia
2009 - Knoxville, Tennessee