It's like magic
Oh rollin' and ridin', slippin' & sliding'
It's magic
And you, and your sweet desire,
You took me, ohh higher and higer baby,
It's a livin' thing,
It's a terrible thing to lose
It's a given thing
What a terrible thing to lose."
I haven't heard this ELO song in over twenty years but heard it on the radio yesterday and it just seemed a fitting farewell to my sweet Rosie.
I slept downstairs in the living room with Rosie last night...she had lost the ability to bound up the steps two at a time like she used to and stayed on the lower floors of the house. I didn't fall asleep until after 3 and woke with a start before 7AM.
Today was the day...
I put Ham out in the garage and locked Charlie in Massey's room (thank goodness she had already left for Florida.) Ham sat silent and stoic in the garage while Charlie moaned and wailed mournfully from the third floor. Charlie may be dumb as a rock but he knew something was happening and it wasn't good. Ham, always the proud boy took it in stride and waited quietly to be let back in.
We let Rosie shuffle, slide and drag herself out the back kitchen door and after relieving herself simply lay down and seemed to have a pleading look like "Yes please."
She didn't struggle or protest but seemed ready for what I have been putting off for way too long. When she was settled, with Zach holding her in his arms, I had to go inside. I thought I would be brave enough but I wasn't. I kissed her and told her how much I loved her and like a coward, went inside. It was over in less than thirty seconds. By the time I got to my bedroom on the third floor and looked out my window she was at peace, with Zach lovingly by her side. I had to be at work in twenty minutes but just wanted to make sure Zach treated her with the respect she so richly deserved...my boy didn't let me down.
He and his friend carried her to the back of the yard wrapped in a beach towel...that's what she used to maneuver herself from the carpet across the linoleum. We had to lay it out so she could get a good enough grip to drag herself outside. When that first started happening I should have known better than to let it go on...but I couldn't bring myself to accept it.
I watched from my bedroom window as they gently lowered her into her final resting place...by then I had less than ten minutes to get to work. They were covering the grave as I went to get in my car. I tried not to break into an all out bawl as I drove to work. I cried a couple of times but as my boss Len pointed out "You should be celebrating. She is free of discomfort and pain and lived a great life."
I came home after my lunch shift and it was 95 degrees outside. I put on some shorts and covered her grave with heavy marble stepping stones and lined it with logs from a tree Zach had cut up after it fell during a storm. I was worried about the two males but needn't be. They were sitting by the back kitchen door seeming to wait for Rosie to come outside.
I flopped onto the couch sweating and exhausted and Ham simply came and sat down next to me intently staring. I had an hour to rest before I had to be back at work and he didn't leave my side one time. Charlie was more pitiful... he paced and paced and paced.
This is my final sad blog about Rosie. She was an excellent dog and until the end lived an excellent life. She brought us much joy and now we have given her much needed relief.
Life goes on...
Til next time...one less COTTON
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