Riggins

Riggins passed away unexpectedly on May 4th, 2023 at home, surrounded by his family. He passed away doing what he loved most – laying in Mom’s lap, loving her just as much as she loved him. He is survived by his Mom (Ashleigh), Dad (Brice), siblings Braxton, Berkleigh and Kenna, and his puppy sibling Nellie.

Riggins was born on March 28th, 2015 to Red and Aspen in Windsor Colorado. Riggins joined our family 8 weeks later, when Mom chose the biggest, red, loner puppy from that litter. From that point forward, Riggins had all he ever needed. Anyone who knew Riggins, knew that he loved his mom. He spent the next 8 years following mom wherever she went. And whenever she left, he waited faithfully by the garage door for her to return. He would occasionally give mom a break, but only if a walk with dad or a game of fetch were involved.

Riggins, despite his size, was an incredibly gentle dog. As our family grew, and we welcomed little humans into our family, Riggins was there every step of the way fulfilling his duties as big brother. At first, his duties were simple; he was a cuddle buddy. But as the kids grew, he became a thing to poke at, to pull on, the scream in the ear of. And as they grew more, he became a buddy. A buddy to play with, to laugh with, to run with, and again to cuddle with. He never once failed in those duties, and he performed them with no expectations in return.

Riggins loved his walks in the desert, where he would ever so happily greet any human or dog that he crossed paths with. Though intimidating in size, he would quickly ease any concerns with his friendly, calm demeanor. He was a friend to all.

As a family, we cry for Riggins. Riggins has earned the tears that we cry for him. We owe him these tears. And our tears will run dry long before we are ever able to repay our debts to him. Riggins showed us what unconditional love is. That’s all he had in him; goodness and love – 8 years of goodness and love; 8 years of comfort and companionship; 8 years of laughs and cuddles. He leaves behind a giant hole in our hearts; but how blessed we were to have had those 8 years with him.