It's taken awhile to get past the tears and post this. My sweet Rose went to the RB in the wee hours of January 23rd. She was 8 1/2 years old.
Rose was my huggy dog, from the minute I first picked her up from a box of puppies in front of the Whole Foods grocery. As I held her, I told my SO to get my wallet from my pocket and give the man the $10 bill in it - we're taking this puppy home. She sat in my lap the whole way home and sometime in the trip, she told me her name: "I am Rose."
We knew Rose had a problem early in her life - she couldn't jump up like a normal dog. A vet visit confirmed she had hip dysplasia, and there wasn't much they could do for her. Later when she was five, she started having grand mal seizures. She was diagnosed with epilepsy and was also hypothyroid. Medication kept the seizures at bay somewhat, but occasionally they'd break through.
Rose was a very mellow dog and loved to be held and hugged. One of my favorite memories was of her sitting in the hollow between my legs as I sat on the floor crosslegged - she was my 60 pound lap dog.
Towards the end of her life, we knew we were faced with a difficult decision. Her hips had become so bad that she needed us to hold her up in a sling to go ouside, and she was often unable to stand on her own.
We had an ice storm the week before her death and were off work for a whole week. Rose got a lot of quality time with us that week. The following Monday we went to work, leaving her in her kennel with her buddy Miss Brown. That evening, she did not come out to greet us. She needed help getting out of the dog house. Once inside, she refused her dinner - very un-Rose like thing to do. As the evening went on, she grew weaker. We called the vet and made arrangements to bring her in in the morning.
At 11:30 that evening, I sang her her special song and told her goodnight. At 4:45 the next morning, I suddenly awoke. I listened for Rose's snore - there was silence. She was gone.
Rose was cremated and her remains put in a lovely oak box with her name tag on top and a photo of her on the front. Every so often, I look at it and sing her special song in my head. I'll always remember Rose.
I was going to attach a photo, but it's in the wrong format - just imagine a lab-shaped dog with a blue merle coat, yellow legs, and little yellow eyebrows - that's Rose.
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It is easy to see you loved her very much. She is at the Rainbow Bridge now and can run and play. One day you will be together again. Until then treasure the precious memories you have of her. She will always be a part of you and in spirit I'm sure, is always near you. {hugs}
I miss you
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