Rosy’s Story

This was to be my standard white poodle with whom I was to have many years of companionship and love. This was not to be. Her Story will tell it all.

Sassafras Tundra Rose Express, born in April of 96, came to us in July of 1996.

Our hearts were beating fast while we waited at the air port to pick her up that day. When she arrived and they brought her in to us, we could not wait to hold her. She was so big and sweet looking. We gathered her up and left for home. We also had a standard black poodle by the name of Satin My Love. She was waiting for us at home. The two poodles got along like they had always known each other. They played and Rosy grew. At six months old she stood taller than Satin.

We had fun training her with all the commands of sit, lay, stay and come. She was quick to learn. She loved to play with Satin outside. They would run, twist and turn and jump all over. Looked like a couple of rabbits playing. Rosy would go under a car and peek out at Satin, waiting until her back was turned and then run as fast as she could to get her. Rosy looked like a cat when she stalked Satin in play that way. Rosy loved to run, she looked like she was trying to catch the wind.

She grew fast, and large, and yet was so gentle and loving. She helped me plant my flowers that spring and summer. She even ate a few. ha ha She chased butterflies, bees, leaves and tried her hardest to catch one of those huge planes that flew overhead so low. She went for walks with Satin and I in the woods and on the bike trails. She played ball with us and Satin until we all dropped. That fall she found out what "snow" was, and was caught repeatedly chasing snowflakes. When she would grab a great big SNOWFLAKE, she would turn around looking at me as if to say, "where did it go? I know I caught it"!! We really had good laughs with her-I say with her for I feel sure she had a sense of humor. She would run around and send snow flying only to stop and grab a mouth full, and again look puzzled, as to where it went. I think she was making me aware of how wonderful it is to be alive and discover things anew. She showed such interest in all things, from big planes overhead down to a butterflies, flowers and a leaf blowing in the wind. I marveled at how full of life she was.

That fall she helped me put up Halloween decorations, getting into the cobwebs, grabbing the spiders and taking off with them. She had so many cobwebs on her at one point, I could have just used her for decoration. She looked with wonder at the large witch that laughed at her each time she went by. She would bark at it, and that would set off the sonic bat, which made her jump and turn around to see what that new noise was. She did this time after time until I thought the batteries would run down. She checked out the skeleton I had just hung up by grabbing it's foot. It did not make a noise, so she went back to the witch. I had carved my first pumpkin that year. Waited until dark to light the pumpkin. When the candle inside the pumpkin lit up the face,  Rosy growled at it and backed off watching. It was a pretty good face, for my first pumpkin to be carved. haha

But she had started having trouble when she was about four months old, she had an infection in the intestinal tract, which left her with very soft stools with some blood in it. I took her to the Vet. and after tests gave her antibiotics which cleaned up her act. Then she started having to go outside all the time and could only urinate small amounts, again I took her to the Vet. and after tests was given more medicine, which cleared up the problem. Until she was out of mediation and the problem came back.

During this time, I had to take Satin to the Vet. for a check on her eyes. When I got home found my husband and Rosy on the floor. Upon checking her, decided to take her to Pet Emergency (a after hour place for pets) They took an x-ray and told us that she had broken her knee, broke the end of the bone right off. Next day we took her to a specialist, he took more x-rays and showed us and explained that he could put the bone back in place and pin it there until it all knitted together. Well, she made it through all this with the sweetest temperament. She came home later that day, no worst for the wear. My husband and I both are still puzzled as to just how she broke her leg, she must have really went wild at being left alone and was running and hit her knee really hard on something to break it in such a way. The Vet. said, it is a "text book case", very common for puppies to break their legs in that way, because the end of the bones are not solid yet, they are soft cartilage, because the bones are still growing. She did just fine and later the cast came off, she never even limped, and ran like nothing ever happened. The pins were still in and were to come out later.

She had been on antibiotics all this time to fight any infection that might try and show up. As the medication ran our, her other problems came back. I again took her to the Vet. and this time they did more extensive testing. What they found was a vaginal constriction. This in itself is a problem and hereditary. It is very rare, and other problems show up along with this one as the dog gets older. Things like the tube from the kidney connected in the wrong place which will always keep her with an infection going, because of where the tube connected. And there were other things the Vet. talked about that they might find wrong. After long talks with the Vet. as how to take care of the problem, I was left with a decision. I could not put Rosy through any more surgeries with out some (hope) at the end that all would be ok. And that she would not be looking at a lifetime of one surgery after another.

Rosy left us that November, 1996 and we laid her to rest. We had loved her so much, and in such a short time, we had bonded so well. She was so gentle and loving. In my heart she will always be my gentle giant.

I contacted Rosy’s breeder in Texas about the situation during and after we made our decision. I received a replacement for Rosy, but that is not the issue here. Rosy was loved to pieces the short time she was with us, and will always be in my heart. Our new love, TUNDRA ANGEL LACE arrived in December of 1997---but she has her OWN STORY, soon to be published here.


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