Numb.

On Saturday morning we lost our beloved little chihuahua, Rosie.

She loved to chase cars and unfortunately it caught up with her. We own a lot of land and we're near no major highways so we've never had her on a leash. She always enjoyed running around outside and we've thought none the wiser. She never chased cars but for the past two months she started that terrible habit. We tried everything we could to get her inside that morning. We called her. We chased after her. We even opened the car door to pretend to take her for a ride just so we could grab her to put her in the house, all to no avail. She was a runner. She could run up to 30 miles per hour, no joke, so chasing after her was pointless. It was a beautiful, warm day and she just wouldn't come when we called. Tarl left out that morning to run errands and not long after mom and I left to go and get our nails done, that's when we saw her laying lifeless in the driveway. 

It was heartbreaking. Tarl had no idea that he had even done it. 

Rosie has always barked while chasing cars and this time she didn't. Tarl always checks his rear view mirrors and never once saw her so he assumed she had found a bone to chew on elsewhere or that I had finally gotten her in the house.

I cried for hours. Cadence cried for hours. Tarl was just as heartbroken seeing us in pain and even this morning talked about how he misses hearing her little paws running along the floor, jumping on our bed to wake us up.

Rosie was a part of our family. She will always be a part of our family. She was vibrant and full of life and had her own little personality. 

I have so many pictures of Rosie, but we took these the night before and called them "Rosie selfies". They will always hold a special place in my heart. 

I still feel so numb. The pain is still there but the crying has stopped. 

I swear I still hear her paws running through the house in the middle of the night. 

I still hear her whining to be let out or scratching at the door to come in. 

I hate that it happened.

I feel like this could have easily been prevented had we took more time to try and get her in the house that morning but calling a dog for 10+ minutes that runs away from you as soon as you get close to her aggravates you at some point and you just give up and say the hell with it. 

I can't blame her. It was a gorgeous Saturday and who wants to spend it inside cooped up?

I hate that she started chasing cars out of the blue and I wish she would have always been terrified of vehicles, but alas, she was like most dogs and barked and chased anything that didn't seem normal to her. 

It's been an emotional week for all three of us. Cadence is at such a sensitive age and to tell her that her beloved little Rosie had passed away was heartbreaking. 

Rosie loved to climb up the stairs on Cadence's swingset and slide down the slide - she was the only dog I had ever seen do this but she did every time Cadence did.

She loved getting on Cadence's trampoline and would jump right up on there with her.

She shed like the dickens and was only allowed to sleep at the foot of our bed or her doggie bed due to the fact that her hair would get everywhere, but every morning like clock work at 1am I would always hear her jump off our bed and go into Cadence's room. It never bothered me and looking back it makes me smile that she loved Cadence so very much. 

Rosie only ate the red pieces of her dog food, leaving the tan pieces to the side. 

She preferred milk over water to drink and every Friday night we would give her milk as a treat in her water bowl. 

She hated dog treats. We've bought over 10 different varieties and kinds and she never ever liked any of them. She'd much rather eat something off of your plate. 

She loved cats. Adored them. My mom has a Pomeranian and although they got along, she would rather have spent her time with my parents outdoor cat, or our inside cat, Sawyer. 

She had the biggest ears of any chihuahua I had ever seen and it was beyond precious.

She loved belly rubs more than any other part of her body.

Like most pets, she hated baths and knew when I was giving her one anytime I grabbed a towel and walked into Cadence's bathroom with that special bottle of soap.

She was house trained, but if you popped her behind for something throughout the day, whether it be for chewing something she shouldn't have been or getting in the trash, she would leave you a little 'surprise' in the bathroom just to spite. Hey, at least she knew which room in the house to do it in.

She was so loving.

She was loved.

We miss her so much and have learned a very valuable lesson: invest in a fence or leash train, because this has just broken our hearts.

We love you Rosie. I am a firm believer that pets do go to Heaven and I know I'll see you at the gates, waiting for that belly rub one day.

xo