On Friday, March 21, 2025, our sweet Bo Ridge crossed the rainbow bridge. His passing was sudden and unexpected, yet peaceful. He was not in pain, nor was he scared. I was with him. I hugged him, telling him how much he was loved and what a good boy he was. I ran my hand back and forth from the top of his head to his tail, letting him know how grateful I was for him in our lives. I kissed his silky soft ears and whispered I would miss him always.
Bo will forever be etched in our hearts. He was more than a dog — he was a life-saver. He learned his job at a young age and loved to work. He would stop eating to alert, leave play to alert, and even wake up from sleep to alert. He was consistent and reliable. Even in retirement, he continued working. The night before he died, he woke and alerted to a high.
A few nights after his passing, Bo came to me in my dreams. He appeared at my bedroom door. In my dream, I woke to his presence. I knew he had died, so I kept telling him that I saw him. “I see you Bo,” I said in my dream. “I see you.” He looked at me and then looked down the hall towards Austin’s room. He did what he did so well: he communicated with his eyes. He repeated the pattern. He was telling me Austin’s blood sugar needed attention. I got out of bed knowing Austin was high. As I got to the bedroom door, Bo headed toward the kitchen for his reward. I could hear the tip tap of his feet on the wood floor and it reassured me that he was really there. I was so happy to see him and that he had come back to visit me.
When I woke up the next morning, it was not until I went to put on my slippers that I remembered my dream. There was only one slipper by my bed. I had yet to clear the cobwebs from sleep and I had the thought that Bo must have taken my slipper, something he often did. Then at nearly the same moment, I remembered Bo was gone. It was then that the details of my dream came back and for a fleeting moment I felt filled with happiness.
I find it fitting that Bo came to me in my dream alerting. He took his job seriously; it was almost as if he knew how important the work he did was. When he smelled a high or low, he would stop what he was doing, come to us, and look intently as if he were saying ‘don’t you smell what I smell?’ While he was serious about alerting, when he got his reward he turned into a happy, excited puppy. He loved getting paid. His favorite currency was cheese. He would often run to get a toy for a game of getcha after a low alert. Even as a 12-year-old senior, he would delight in me chasing him around the dining room table after an alert — a game we played many times in the middle of the night as part of his night alerting reward chain.
Bo was smart and a quick learner. I remember feeling proud that I was able to teach him to rest his jaw on my foot aka the ‘chill’ cue in just a day. I trained him to ‘chill,’ luring him into the position with carrots and marking the behavior with a clicker. I used the cue when he was under a restaurant table. When he was ‘chilling,’ I knew he was not nosing around for crumbs on the floor. When he stopped working in public, chill became a cue I used when he was in bed with me. By that time, he was able to generalize the cue. I could cue chill for him to rest his jaw on my chest and would often do that when I was reading in bed.
For many years Bo slept with Austin. When he was a puppy he slept in a crate beside Austin’s bed. Once crate trained he began sleeping in bed with Austin. It was the best place for him to do the job we were training him to do. When Austin went away to college, Bo began sleeping in bed with me and Daran. He slept between us and often under the covers until he got too hot. He would start panting and we would call him up for air. Bedtime was my favorite with Bo. He was a snuggle bug and with the cue ‘close’ he would put himself in a tight ball and put his weight right into the side of my stomach. I told Daran he was like a weighted blanket. I always felt safe and secure with Bo close to me in bed.
When I had the idea of getting a puppy to train to be a diabetic alert dog for Austin, I thought I would be getting a dog for Austin. While Bo worked for Austin and they had a unique relationship, I was Bo’s mama, and he was my baby. We shared a special bond. I did everything to protect and keep him safe. He trusted me and was always forgiving of my mistakes. As much as I taught him, he taught me. He taught me to ‘try again’ when you don’t get something right the first time: don’t give up, just try again and keep trying again. Persistence pays off.
He also taught me the value of finding joy in life’s simple pleasures. He loved walks in the woods behind our house. He was always up for a walk out back and he showed pure excitement running to the back door and waiting for me to get his leash and treats. On our walks, he would run ahead of me and then circle back to check in. He fancied eating bark off the old pines and putting his nose down to the ground to sniff. When I was walking with Bo, I took his lead and would make an effort to be present in the moment. Trying to focus on what I could see, smell, and feel in nature. Walks in the woods with Bo were therapeutic. I always came back from a walk feeling better than when I had started. I will miss our walks together, the quiet moments, the silly games, and the conversations.
On walks, I always told him what a good boy he was and how much I loved him. I’d call him by all his nicknames – Bo Ridge, Bose, BoBo, Mr. Ridge, Monkey. He had the best recall and I loved to see him stop and turn on a dime when I cued him to wait and then come. I’d call out ‘wait’ and he would stop in his tracks and look up, then I’d call out ‘come’ and he would come running back to my open arms waiting for him. I would give him treats in rapid succession telling him what a good boy he was. I will miss him running to my open arms.
There is so much about Bo that we will miss. He truly loved us unconditionally and he brought us so much joy and happiness. He left us with beautiful memories and hundreds of stories to retell. Something unique and special about Bo is how he touched the lives of so many. Over the last week, we have received an outpouring of love, support, and kindness from friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances, and even strangers. We are so thankful for the incredible love and caring we have experienced. Through texts, calls, cards, and in-person conversations we’ve felt the impact Bo has had on so many people. He truly was an ambassador for service dogs, especially diabetic alert dogs. Thanks to his willingness to do the job we trained him for, he also played an important role in raising awareness of Type 1 Diabetes.
I was not a ‘dog person’ thirteen years ago when I had an epiphany one summer afternoon that I needed to get a puppy to train to be a diabetic alert dog for Austin. I did not know the first thing about owning a dog, let alone training a service dog. I was driven by a mother’s deep and unwavering love for her child. Looking back I think my lack of knowledge probably served as a protectant. Had I known how much I didn’t know, I may not have had the courage to try. Today, looking back I am so glad I did try because I can not imagine our lives without Bo. He brought us so much love and he made us better humans. He will be etched in our hearts and memories forever. It was a privilege and honor to raise Bo.
Dear Lord: May our sweet Bo Ridge rest in eternal peace and may we one day be reunited with him again.
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