Rosey

I didn’t know if I was ready for a new dog. Whilst the gaping hole in my heart and in my house was noticeable, the lack of noise palpable, I still wasn’t sure. That is, until Rosey.

It was three months since we lost our Elliott to cancer. He was twelve and a unicorn. A once-in-a-lifetime pet that ticks all the boxes, even the boxes you didn’t know you had. Soft, loving, lazy, quiet, sweet, gentle, caring, and comforting; that pup had it all. And when you’ve had it all, what could possibly come after? The answer, Rosey.

Now, like most people, we did have rules. A dog from a breeder, hard no. A dog that barks a lot is a deal breaker. A puppy, hard no. A small dog, nope. A shedding dog, heck no. We were on the hunt for another unicorn. We spent several weeks glued to our phones, refreshing the photos on the website for the available pets for adoption. Until one day we came across a little fluff ball about four months old and knew we had to check him out. We were going to look at a puppy, and that was going to be the first rule we broke.

We went to the pound the following day after work. We were giddy with excitement, gone was the hesitation that we were not ready. This new puppy was our destiny, or so we thought; For as soon as we arrived, we were told that the puppy had already been adopted.

Slightly heartbroken already, I agreed that since we were there, we might as well peek at who was currently calling this shabby, underfunded building their home. And no sooner had we crossed the threshold did we spot Rosey. Two steps into the room, first cage to the right, and there she was. We asked to be let inside her area, so we could meet her. As soon as we got in, she came over to say hi, all waggy tails and smiles. After a few hello pets, she abruptly ran to her bed and brought over her stuffed animal to show us. She handed it right to my husband and let go. I locked eyes with my husband, saw his face, and it was essentially over. She was ours. I knew it deep in my soul. She was our unicorn. Our big energetic, sheds more than you can imagine, barks at people, unicorn.

We saw no other dogs that day. We filled out the request for adoption knowing another person had already requested her. It would work out, I told myself, it had to.

A week later we got the call. We could come to pick her up, and we did. With the happiest of tears floating in my eyes, we went that evening. Our girls we shocked. They could not have been happier and once again our household was complete. Two parents, three amazing kids, a covid kitty, because we adopted her the year previous, and now our dog, Rosey. She came with that name, and it felt wrong to change it, although if she could talk, she would tell you she has many names: Rosey, Posey, Rosetta, Rosalina, Puppy Pups, and Rosebud to name a few.

A few weeks from now, we will have had her a year. She is as advertised; big, loud, full of energy, very sheddy, husky lab. She will play fetch endlessly, pull on the leash more than we’d like, and put herself to bed in our daughters’ bedroom when it’s bedtime. She barks when people pass, must lay in the middle of the bed, steals the blanket, and she gives the warmest hugs. And have I mentioned the shedding bit?

We wouldn’t have it any other way. Our new life began the day we brought her home.