rosanna, rosanna....

my beloved rosanna -

you were so tiny when i brought you home from michigan in 1995. you picked me really, you came running to me and crawled into my lap and licked my face as if to say, "you cant go home without me!" i brought you home in a blue shoulder-bag to surprise eric and dad, and they were just as delighted with you as i was. i named you after the 80's song rosanna, and sang it to you all the time.

you loved sticks, getting "fresh ones" straight from the trees, jumping to unbelievable heights to reach them. you loved swimming, any old water would do, even an oversized puddle from a hard rain. but i think your favorite was always donnell pond. you could wade and smack the water with your paw so it would splash up and you could bite the splash. you used to command me to do this for you til you figured out how to do it your damn self.

you loved hiking, any old hike would do... but you especially loved hikes into the woods with jj for a day of being a crag dog. i think your favorite days were ones you could combine all your loves into one. swimming and chasing sticks at the crag.

you were fast as all getout (tho grampy always said "she isnt fast but she sure is quick")... you loved herding the ball in the yard and would get it going so fast, and then circle it around to bring it back... you loved chasing tennis balls and would do it til the end of time if you could, and you loved chewing them in your strong jaws and plucking all the fluff out of them... you loved killing squeaky toys and removing the squeakers, and rolling on your back going "arr, arr, arr..." and you loved rawhides and bleached bones, and would enhiliate them in minutes.

you loved your tennis ball probably more than anything in the world. maybe tied with swimming. you pined for the ball when you could smell it thru a closet door, and once you snuck one into the house you would head straight for the coffee table or sofa to shove it under, then play your own made-up game of "get it out."

you did more tricks and knew more words than any dog ive ever seen... i once made a list of all the words you knew, it was well over 100. you knew the names of all of your TONS of toys. you could sit and down within days of coming home as a baby, and my favorite tricks of yours were bang, the nose-flip-treat trick, and "go" - and of course herding your ball. i thought you were so smart, you learned tricks so quickly... i even gave you a doggie IQ test which confirmed my belief that you were a genius.

you always kept the horses in line in the barn... while i was cleaning stalls you would stand guard at the doorway and make sure they didnt even think about stepping a foot out into the aisle. they didnt even want to put their noses over the fronts, you would jump up and nip their noses to tell them to get back in there!

you loved rides in the car, even if it was just to the grocery store and back. or thru the carwash. and even the long and gruelling drive to ohio and back, eating and drinking on the run and having to potty on a leash in a hurry. we took you to telluride and you sat so forlornley between your brothers, but with never so much as a nasty look to them... you used to ride in my lap in the car until you got too big, then you loved the passenger seat so you could be the co-pilot.

you loved the park and junglegyms, with slides and tunnels and things to climb on...

i loved showing you off - anywhere we went people would stop and comment how well-trained (certainly not by MY doing, you were born trained) and beautiful you were, pointing out your racoon tail... you always loved to escape thru the autumn olives to go swim and play with the kids on the other side of the pond, and they loved you and wanted to keep you because you looked like a wolf. you loved little kids, especially boys, because they would always throw a ball or stick for you.

i took you to denison during exam week freshman year and hid you in my closet after my roommate left for the summer (so she couldnt tell on me!). i wanted you to be with me always, and was always so sad to leave you in findlay - tho your grammy and grampy loved you almost as much as i did. i know you loved it at their house, but that you also loved being in colorado - everytime we went back and forth you were so excited to return to the place you remembered and loved so much. it was fun to watch you realize we were getting close, recognize the surroundings, and get so excited to be there.

you were my lone companion when i lived in columbus, and would sleep in my little twin bed with me, and go to work with me at the vet's office... which you hated until you realized you'd get to chase balls in the backyard and eat frosty-paws all day!!

i know i will cry many many tears for you - you were with me from high school, 17 years old, until the week before i turned 30. i grew up with you. i hope i loved you as well as you loved me... i hope you felt loved and had everything you wanted... i am so thankful that you lived a long full life of 13 years, and enjoyed every minute clear up to the end. the day you left me, you got to ride with jj to evans for one last crag trip. and i cuddled you lots and gave you lots of special things to eat, even tho you didnt feel much like eating them. i am so thankful that you waited for me to come home to you, so i could say goodbye. you were such a huge part of the biggest part of my life. you were a defining element in how i grew up and grew into an adult. i love you so much, and you will always be in my heart, and it will always hurt that you're gone. an empty space that will never be filled by anyone or anything else.

the sun is rising on my first day without you. i know it carries you to a wonderful place, with endless swimming, sticks, tennis balls, and bones... and i hope you can still feel my love as i still, and always will, feel yours.

my rosanna.