Hello Axel!

Axel Joseph Elser

July 16th, 2015

7:47 pm

7 lbs 14 oz

20.5"

Welcome to the family, Axel! 

We love you!

Rosa Maria Octavia Elser

So, I started this post last fall, but it has taken me quite some time to periodically sit down and get all of my pictures together. This is one that I didn't want to just let slip away so I am trying to wrap it up before we welcome a new little guy into our family. What's that? You say I haven't mentioned that on here yet? I know. I really haven't posted anything in over a year. Woops! So just in case you haven't heard the news yet - we are expecting a little boy, due on July 5th! Yes, less than one week from now!

So that is obviously big news, but before we start on that next adventure I wanted to remember the furry family member we lost last summer. Our Rosa bear.

Rosa (a.k.a. Ro Ro, Rosa Bear, Bear Face...) came into our life when Austin and I were still in college, and she was the best dog we could have asked for. Always eager to be with us, eager to please, and not a mean bone in her body. Even if we wanted strangers to think we had a guard dog she couldn't help but lean on and love on everyone she met (and get so excited she would tinkle). She was with us through so many big parts of our adult lives. The end of college, our wedding, moving into our home, welcoming Attia into our family, and teaching Attia to love a big furry beast.

 Sadly, things started going down hill for Rosa in November 2013. She had lost some weight and occasionally woke up at night with a yelp of pain, but a trip to the vet and some blood tests revealed nothing. She seemed to rebound for a while and put some weight back on, but then in May she started getting really picky with her food and not eating as much. We tried switching dog foods, and that helped for a little while but then she stopped eating that too. We tried grain free dog food, soft dog food, you name it, but nothing got her eating normal for long. Another trip to the vet revealed what we had been dreading. The big "C". A softball sized tumor in her stomach. There was nothing that we could do so our goal was to keep her comfortable as long as we could. By June I was cooking big batches of homemade dog food for her a couple of times a week, and she really loved that. But by the end of July she would only eat if I spoon fed her and soon she became weaker and weaker. By August we knew it was time to say goodbye to our best friend. On August 4th we took one last trip to the vet and said goodbye to our sweet girl. She may not be in our home anymore, but she will always be in our hearts.

I really can't put into words what a great dog she was, or how much we all loved her, but the following photo collection should help to capture what a big and important part of our lives she was.

2006

November - December

~

Puppy Love 

2007

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She quickly found her way into our hearts (and our laps)

And she grew and grew

And grew 

And grew 

And learned how to get really comfortable

She always thought she was a lap dog.

And she was quite the adventurer.

(Camping at Dogstock)

But mainly, she liked to be comfortable. And snuggle. 

And loved being part of the family. 

2008

~

She loved her people.

And her fellow furry house mates. 

And she loved long walks on the beach. Er, I mean the hiking trails.  

2009

~

She even traveled all the way to Wyoming to spend our Honeymoon with us. 

And she had a blast playing in the snow 

But she was glad to get back home to be with her buddies. 

And play her favorite games.

And of course snuggle.

And play some more. 

2010

~

She was my work companion and guard dog out in the country.

She shared her home for awhile, and then said goodbye to her friend Ellie 

And joined us on a new adventure in our new home. 

2011

~

And then she helped us welcome Attia into the world.

And she had a new person to protect.

And snuggle with.

And play with.

2012

~

She was incredibly patient and sweet.

She loved her new playmate.

Her walking mate.

Her snuggle mate.

And her new source of food.

2013

~

Did I mention she loved her new buddy?

2014

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The two snuggle bugs got along quite well.

They snuggled of course.

And hunted for eggs.

And played.

And read books together.

She was our constant companion.

My lunch buddy.

Our porch buddy.

A big part of our family.

And our friend up to the end.

The hardest thing was to say goodbye.

But sometimes when you love something, you have to let it go.

We still miss our sweet Rosa Bear. But a part of her will always be with us. In our hearts and in our memories.

We love you Rosa!