Love is Blue Tonight

Tonight shortly after six o'clock this sweet girl Roxanne drew her final breathe. She had been with us such a short time, December 2010 and today she was called to the Rainbow Bridge. She is laying on a blue blanket on the blue sofa. in this photo. The cancer was cruel.  It ravaged her tiny little body and we did the very best we could.to make her as comfortable as possible. She took two medications to help ease her symptoms. A steroid and an antibiotic. She ate special food. Everyone loved her. Many tears were shed. Hannah and Markus had a partnership with Roxanne. She was like their child. They both loved her tremendously and their hearts are broken tonight. Bonnie, who is Markus'  mom loved her too. Bonnie has such a gift for caring for pets and particularly pets that have developed cruel and heartless diseases. She will be sad because each Wednesday Roxanne spent the day with her and she loved babysitting this sweet little girl. When Roxanne would come home I would ask her if she had a good time with Bonnie! She would sit up and her little ears would indicate to me that yes, she and Bonnie had a wonderful day!

A blue note to remember the happy days when Roxanne was free and happy. Do you know that the first summer she was with us I bought her a red, white and blue bikini?  Somewhere at you tube Markus and Hannah created a swim video. She went swimming with them and what a wonderful time she had! That is a memory I will keep close to my heart.

Roxanne disliked her medicine time! She would fight you but Hannah created a little game with her. Roxanne would rollover on her back and cover her eyes. Hannah would say "Where's Roxanne? I have to find her." Roxanne would wag her tail in delight and open her eyes and she would sit up and take her medicine! I will often think of those days too. The tears are flowing now but the memories will last our lifetime.

January 19, 2012! The girls in black and white! How could something so tiny charge into ones heart and set up housekeeping there? We will probably never know, but Roxanne came and she stayed. The last month or so has been difficult and when I came home for lunch all the other dogs wait at the door to get a bit of sunshine. But Roxanne would hide in her bed. I would roll her up like a burrito and tell her we have to go potty! She seemed to love my game and she would reluctantly get out. She would do her business and wait for me to scoop her up again!

Roxanne was a fashion plate. She had a nice wardrobe. She loved lying in the sunshine when she felt good. When she first came to live with us she enjoyed the sunshine immensely. The vet thought she was used as a breeder and later dumped when she was no longer useful. She certainly enjoyed having the freedom to sun herself. How many little things we can take for granted. She loved to eat whole grain waffles with Jeremy! Often I would poach her chicken breast for her and she ate so heartily we had hoped perhaps a miracle would happen. But yesterday she just could not eat anymore.

I will remember this girl with the heartful of kisses, she shared herself with each one of us. She thought Rose our older cat was her sister and when she had a bad day Mickey our kitten would climb into her bed and hold her close. She loved sleeping next to him! Tonight he cried at the back door knowing his friend was crossing the Rainbow Bridge. I will choose to remember Roxanne dancing with Hannah to her song "Tiny Dancer". I will close my eyes and see her dancing for me when I offered her a treat. I will see her running to the back door racing passed the big dogs when I yelled who wants a S N A C K ? She was always first in line and when I offered each of them a bite of oven roasted turkey breast she would greedily eat her share and beg for more! I will remember how she loved being covered with a blanket and digging under the covers to get deep into the bed and snore loudly once she got comfortable! I will remember how her life was cruel and cold hearted when she was first born but I will never forget how deeply she affected each member of my phamily and how she touched the hearts of us and Bonnie and Markus too.

Halloween 2013,  tiny cow!

I hope you will visit Sally and I hope you will see some happy blues! I will leave you  with these lovely words because I choose to believe one day we will see Roxanne again on the other side of rainbow bridge.

And as I knelt beside a brook
To drink eternal life, I took
A glance across the golden grass,
And saw my dog, old Blacky, fast
As she could come. She leaped the stream---
Almost--- and what a happy gleam
Was in her eye. I knelt to drink,
And knew that I was on the brink
Of endless joy… John Piper

Roxanne December 2010 - November 3, 2013