Rosie Adventures!

Tulip Town 2025

I probably shouldn't admit this, but I sat for far too long starring at the blank page just trying to find something to write on for this second post. Don't get me wrong, my brain is overflowing with ideas. From what to put in your pet first aid kit, to reviews of walking gear I use to creating a scavenger hunt for mini flamingos for prizes.

However, the writing muse in my brain is on hiatus. This past week...month.... has been a rough one emotionally. When I started brainstorming for this website blog...I said I wanted to be honest and educational. So! Buckle up guys... here is a heavy dose of raw honest emotion.

TW: talk of death and dying.

Back in March, my husband and I took in a client's precious long hair dachshund. Rosie. She is the sweetest little wiener dog I have ever met! And of course, when circumstance changed... I happily agreed to take Rosie in. Even knowing my heart is just not built for fostering.

Kathy came into my life in May of 2023. Our arrangement was a unique situation. It went a bit beyond the standard dog walker/walkee relationships I was used to. Besides transportation for Rosie to and from her daycare facility a few days a week, I'd occasionally take Kathy herself on outings. The doctor, the store and to get her hair cut. Sounds fairly cut and dry when the "duties" are written out on paper, but Kathy and her sweet puppy soon grew in my heart. We'd visit when I'd drop Rosie off. She would ask me about my family and the dogs I'd walked that day. We'd talk about the "dumb news" that was on in the background or the TV program she had just watched. She'd share stories about being a nurse or the around the world boat adventure she took with her late husband, Bob.

I grew fond of our visits. Not just the routine of it, but I cared for this woman. Living in a care facility can't be easy. Especially if you don't have the capability of complete independence... after a lifetime of being free to go abouts as you please. That isn't a judgement on these facilities at all, just the simple fact that getting older is hard. Losing so much... I looked forward to visiting Kathy. Hearing about her woes and helping even with the little things. I can admit that sometimes our visits weren't easy, but me showing up was important. In the end, I wasn't always just there to pick up Rosie, I was there as a smile, a hug, a friendly face in Kathy's small, ever-changing world. Saying I was " just the dog walker," as I often introduce myself, simply wasn't the case. I will always consider Kathy as my friend.

Over the last two years, as per our arrangement, there was several times I took Rosie home with me for overnight care. Usually, it was for a few days and then Rosie would go back home. In March, when I took Rosie home for this stretch... it wasn't clear what the plan was. I was happy to be able to offer care in my home for as long as needed. Though, I don't think we...any of us on Kathy's care team thought it was going to be anything more than a few weeks or a month. We didn't start our weekly visits right away, but as Kathy moved to the memory care section of the facility, my heart told me she needed to see her dog. Of course, as life goes with my sentimental soul, we extended Rosie's stay with us.

I was set to have surgery in May, so there were a couple weeks we didn't get to visit Kathy. Kathy seemed to be doing good in her new room in memory care. She even remembered I had had surgery, and we talked about women's health issues and how amazing having a hysterectomy was...after you are healed. There was another missed weekly visit due to my own medical journey. Let me tell you, colonoscopies are NOT FUN. Well, okay, the prep really is the worst part. but also, around the end of June is when Kathy's health started to decline. We kept to our weekly visits as long as Kathy was up for it. Her dog was her life after her husband passed. Rosie was the most important thing to her...all the way to the end.

In the five months she's been with us, Rosie has become a fixture in my home. Greeting me right along my own dog when I get home, hopping with joy at mealtimes, licking my hand clean during snuggles, barking at the birds at the feeder out the window and playing with my kitty Pickles as only a tiny dog can. Rosie has had adventures to prance in the snow, tiptoe to the tulip fields and to the local rocky beach shores. She has met so many wonderful people and pets, we love to socialize. Rosie has grown her own special place in my heart with her fierce presence and her live in the moment attitude. With her sweet brown eyes and smelly breath.

To say I have a weird job is an understatement. I walk into people's lives to care for their pets, but how can I do that without becoming more than "just the dog walker"? This isn't just a business to me. This is my life. I absolutely love my job.

Kathy passed away this morning.

Is it strange to tell a dog that their owner passed away? I don't have the answer to that. Before I heard the news, I had made today a snuggle morning with Rosie and my dog and my cats. It is rainy today and it was a cozy peaceful morning to lay curled up in the covers. However, expected, the news that Kathy passed has hit pretty hard. I know grief is a crazy journey, and I expect the thought of Kathy and Rosie will always tug at my heart strings... I might have worked for her, but Kathy was my friend. I'll smile on the occasions when I make my husband dinner... Kathy always asked what I was making for dinner. Only once did I tell her..."Kathy, I'm not the cook in the house, I hate cooking." Haha she would still ask what I was cookin' for dinner. :)

Rosie is moving to her furever home this Friday. She knows the family. Lisa, her new mommy is her former dog walker.... before I came along. Though my heart is breaking, I know Rosie will be in amazing hands. I said it... I am not built for fostering. My heart hurts knowing I have 2 more sleeps to snuggle this precious baby. This entire experience has been hard. But you know something... I have learned some amazing lessons. I have built some awesome friendships. I have grown, seen, and I would 100% do it again. Kathy needed her dog. Even when she couldn't take care of her anymore. Kathy's eyes lit up each and every visit we made. And let me tell you.... she remembered Rosie until that very last visit. Pets are important. My experience with Kathy has changed my version of my dreams. Of where I see myself in 10 years. I believe that pets are so important even at the end of life. Maybe even more so. I want to help more people be able to have what Kathy was able to have because of the people around her. Lisa, me, her care team.

But my dream is for another day.

Today... I imagine Bob welcoming Kathy home. Rest easy Kathy. I will miss you.