The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of his master.



Roscoe
April 2009-April 2013

April 8th was a sad day for Joey and I. I went for a bike ride after dinner with Paige, Christina, and our two toddlers. I didn't bring my phone because I didn't have anywhere to put it and we weren't going to be going far. I saw Joey's car coming down the street and wondered where he was going. He drove up to me and looked upset. He said that his Mom thinks Roscoe is dying. Joey's Mom and Step-Dad are nice enough to keep the dogs for us while we get established down here. They called on Sunday and said that Roscoe was being very sluggish, not eating well or drinking, and just laying in one spot. I don't know all of the details because they talked to Joey, but the news wasn't good. He was pooping blood and couldn't move. He was very weak. They tried to call the vet we use and she turned her cell phone off. They eventually got in touch with another vet. The vet said it sounds like Roscoe had a tumor in his intestines that ruptured. There was nothing left to do for him. He was barely holding on and was going to pass away. I am incredibly sad and I feel really bad that we could not be there with him. We couldn't hold him. We couldn't love on him. We couldn't look into his sad eyes and tell him that we love him. I know that Janet and Larry were there for him the entire time. I just wonder if he thinks we gave him away. I don't want him to think that we didn't want him or love him. I miss him so much and am having a really hard time dealing with his death.

We got Roscoe in May of 2009. We got him when he was a new little chubby puppy. His mom put her neck in a pipe, got stuck, broke her neck, and died. She left behind 10+ puppies. When we got Roscoe, we fell in love with him. He was so cute and thought he was so tough with his tiny little playful growl.

 

He went through his ugly stage, but luckily didn't stay that way for long. He just got SO TALL so fast.

 

We brought a new kitten into our family in August 2009 and Roscoe didn't even care. He would play with her (gently) and even sleep by her. He was very curious about her. This picture is when we first brought Rita home. She's a little blurry, lol.



Rita always jumped on him and he didn't even care.



 



He was hanging out with me in the house this day.



Just waiting for Daddy to get home.



Kissing Rita

Roscoe was happy when we moved to a bigger house with a big fenced yard. He could run around as much as he wanted. We really wanted him to have another dog to play with all day while we were at work. So in the summer of 2010, we got him a female friend, Roxie, and he warmed up to her on the first day she arrived. Roxie, on the other hand, took a while to get used to having Roscoe follow her everywhere. Eventually, they became the best of pals.

 

 


Best Friends.

We had numerous snow days in February 2011. I let the pups hang inside with me. I couldn't really go rough house in the snow with them because I was 4 months pregnant. Roscoe always got a bit rough in the snow so I didn't want him to knock me down! I brought them in and we played all day. We even had a dance party, but I didn't have anyone to take pictures of us dancing. <3

 

 
 

 



They wanted my Cheeto Puffs!

"If you have a dog, you will most likely outlive it; to get a dog is to open yourself to profound joy and, prospectively, to equally profound sadness." This is very true. I am very happy that we had Roscoe for the little bit of time that we did. He was the best dog. He was very friendly, sweet, and playful. He was so easy going, not jealous at all, and really loved us. I only saw him get aggressive one time and it was right after I had Brynlee. Joey was at work, Brynlee was napping, and the electricity guy had to check our meter in our backyard. All of a sudden, I heard the deepest, scariest growl I have ever heard. Then I heard a long, VERY deep bark. I looked outside and Roscoe was about 2 feet from the electricity guy. He wasn't snarling, but his bark and growl let me (and the man) know that he was in protective mode. When he looked at and saw me at the patio door, his bark and growl got even deeper. It was as if he was telling this man, "Look, my mom and baby are in that house and I dare you to try something." I felt so incredibly protected by him. Roxie, not so much. She just went and hid in her dog box. I think she was even scared of Roscoe at that point! Roscoe followed (barking and growling) the man all the way until he left our yard and closed the gate. The man walked backward the entire way. When the guy went into our neighbor's yard, Roscoe still barked at him but he went back to his normal bark. I've never heard that bark or growl again.

I am deeply saddened by our loss. I know Joey isn't very good at showing his emotions, but I know he is very sad, too. He loved Roscoe so much. We both hope Roscoe knows how much we loved him.

My brother and Paige sent me these beautiful angel dog flowers today. Of course, they made me cry.

Roscoe--We love you. We're sorry we were not there to hold you while you took your last breaths. We're sorry we were not there to tell you that we love you. We're sorry that we couldn't take your pain away. We hope you know that we love you so very much and hope we see you again someday.