Let us "paws" for a moment of silence...

In Loving Memory

Rosie "Rosebud" Koonce

April 20, 2003 - July 22, 2014

 

I remember the day Rosie became a member of the Koonce Klan like it was yesterday. Bless her heart! I was in my parent's bathroom when Mom strolled in holding an off-blue Easter basket with both hands, grinning from ear to ear. I put my hairbrush and squirt bottle down (the bumps could wait) and stared into the basket at what I thought was a bobble head sitting amongst the lime green Easter grass. As I got closer, I realized it wasn't a bobble head at all! It was a little bitty pug puppy tilting her head side-to-side, patiently waiting to be held.

 

Whether you were playing Nintendo, grading papers, or eating dinner at the kitchen table, Rosie was right by your side. She just HAD to be near a human. It didn't matter if she had just been scolded for having an accident (or four) in the house or yelled at for causing you to trip. Dear ol' Rosebud loved you no matter what and she was going to stand (err...sleep) by your side through anything and everything. She snored worse than any man I know and my friends hated that about her. Not once did we get through a movie without one of my friends (you know who you are...but I'll call you out anyway Tara, Rachel, Whitney, Mo, Jessica, JD, Dulce, Trent, and Faith) chunking a pillow at her because they couldn't hear the movie over her snoring or complaining because she got a little "eye juice" (their words, not mine) on their shoes. However, despite what my friends said, it was Rosie's snoring that brought me comfort more than anything else growing up. I knew if I could hear that curly-tailed pup wheezing and snorting, everything would be okay...and it always was!

 

Here are a few pictures of our sweet pug:

 

 

Here is Rosie's baby picture! You can't tell me this isn't the sweetest and cutest puppy you've ever seen.

 

 

I put the computer down for 5in and this is what I came back to!

 

 

 It didn't matter what she laid on...if she didn't have to sleep directly on the carpet, she wouldn't!

 

 

It wasn't Christmas morning unless A Christmas Story was playing on tv and Rosie had wiggled her way into the pile of tissue paper.

 

 

I remember my brothers and I were playing Nintendo one day when Rosie started to walk by in front of us. We were all three sitting in chairs, so each of our cords were lifted off the ground. Rosie walked right through the cords and unplugged every single one of our controllers. We just looked at each other and then began viciously yelling at Rosie for interrupting an intense game of Mario Kart.

 

 

SOMEBODY had to do my math homework, right?

 

 

 

She even helped Mom sort her music.

 

I know Rosie would've wanted me to post this picture on here as a reminder to everyone (my friends especially) that she didn't choose the pug life, the pug life chose her!

 

 

She loved me, I promise.

 

Rosie wasn't the brightest dog in the world, and she definitely wasn't the most talented. In fact, after nearly 12yrs, Rosie still wasn't potty trained. She didn't know how to play dead or how to speak on command. She snored, accidentally tooted when she sneezed (but don't we all), and got "eye juice" on you when you tried to pet her. But if you ask me, it was her silly quirks that made her a Koonce and I wouldn't have traded her for the world. She wasn't the perfect dog, but she was the perfect dog for our family!

 

I miss you already, Rosie! Life will be "ruff" without you and your snorts, but I know you're now able to see, hear, breathe, use the bathroom in the proper place, and do tricks like never before! Now "Go Dog. Go!" The house will be quiet without you. 

We will always love you, Rosie! Thank you for the many years of laughter and comfort!