Remembering Rosie

My mom and my brother Richard found Rosie at a flea market. Well technically, they saw her brothers first. Ricky begged my mom for one of the puppies but my mom said that she wanted to get a female dog and all they had were male dogs-Ricky was out of luck. That was until a man that had just bought one of the puppies came back claiming he wanted a male, not a female. And that is where Rosie came into the picture. Richard reminded my mom of her promise and my mom agreed, and together they brought Rosie into our lives. 

Later that day my family picked me up from a sleepover and tucked in between my brothers in the back seat was Rosie. She looked so lethargic and scared but still oh so adorable. Her curly golden ears shined in the sun that day in May ten years ago and she had my heart right then.

We took her home and she couldn't seem to shake the lethargy, we got worried. That was until Jon (who was a very new boyfriend at the time) suggested we heat up a piece of ham and feed it to her. It worked like a charm, and she perked up right away.
Rosie always had a way of doing things her own way. She was a tomboy and loved to chase after her ball with the other dogs. She had a never ending stomach and a huge heart for all animals. Without fail she always respond to the word "cookie" and I swear when you caught her at the right moment, she smiled at you.
She would let me dress her up, paint her nails and trim her fur on a regular basis. She loved to be pampered and even when she wasn't really into it, she still let me do it anyway. She knew when you needed a cuddle but when you were feeling fine it wouldn't be uncommon for her to steal your seat on the couch. For the longest time she was our only dog and truthfully I think she really liked it that way. When the other dogs came along she would play with them at times but other times she would just hang by our feet and watch. She showed the other dogs how to fall in line behind her and they listened because she didn't give them a choice.

Whenever anyone would take note of how she was getting older I would look at her and say, "Rosie promised me she is never going to die, right Rosie?" And she would stare back at me-almost to say "yup". I know it is a silly thing to say, but for the longest time it made me feel safe, that she would always be there.

For the past two weeks Rosie had been sick and when my mom called the vet they said that she probably didn't have very long left with us. My mom told me this, but I think I did my best to ignore it. Rosie would be fine, she always has been. So instead I wrapped myself up in the preparation for graduation and tending to Frank's hurt leg (he recently tweaked his leg and the doctor said he couldn't leave the house, which resulted in me not leaving the house either). I should have listened to my mom, to the vet, I should have taken my chance to say goodbye. This is something that I will regret for a very long time. 

Early this morning my parents saw that she began to suffer so they decided that it was time to put her to sleep but on the way there she passed away in my dad's arms. I was soon called shortly after at 3am. There really aren't very many calls that report good news at 3am. My brother James tearfully told me that Rosie had passed away. I tried my hardest to stay calm for James, but after I hung up I lost it and really haven't stopped since. Right now I am devastated and I miss my first ever dog. I miss her so much my heart aches, I would give anything to give her one last hug.

Rosie you made our family "dog people" and for this I can not thank you enough. You are missed beyond words.

I love you.