Mulligan Rossi (1998-2009)
The Rossi Family lost our dear beloved dog, Mulligan. Rob and I knew Mulligan was sick since about two weeks ago after a phone call from Rob's Dad. We didn't tell our boys how sick Mulligan really was until the time came to say goodbye to our pet.
For those of you reading this blog post who don't know the details around our pet, let's just say Mulligan was part of our family for 11 years. He lived in our home for 10 wonderful years. Mulligan lived the last year in Avalon with Rob's parents. (*That is a REALLY long story that I blogged about here.)
Click here for my FAVORITE picture of Mulligan, our Wheaton Terrier with Rob on the beach.
Rob's Dad informed us that Mulligan hadn't been eating right for the past few weeks. Mulligan was losing weight and my Father-In-Law decided to take old "Mulls" to the Vet. The Vet did a body scan and confirmed what we did not want to hear: Mulligan was very sick and would not live more than six months. That information came about two weeks ago. What did Mulligan have? He had a tumor on his spleen that was inoperable.
“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.”Unknown
Last Sunday my Mother-In-Law called me to let me know that Mulligan hadn't eaten in two days. She was worried the time was near. We were planning on seeing our dog over Thanksgiving weekend, but with the new information, Rob and I decided to pick the kids up from school right away on Monday afternoon and drive to Avalon. We knew it was important to tell Mulligan we loved him one last time. (*Reflecting on this decision: I am SO glad that we decided to make the drive to Avalon to visit last Monday. )
"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive." - Gilda
Radner
The drive "to" Avalon was hard. I kept tearing up and didn't know how I would handle the visit with my sick dog in front of the boys. The truth is, once we arrived, the visit turned out to be great. Mulligan, who had been very week and really wasn't even strong enough to walk down the stairs, walked to each and every one of us when we arrived!! He wagged his tail, although it wasn't a strong "wag", it was good enough that we knew he was so happy to see us.
Picture above: Mom Rossi and me last Monday on our visit in Avalon. I brought my "52 Sundays" Scrapbook to show my Mother-In-Law while we were hanging out having pizza and loving our dog one last time. Rob joked to lighten the mood:
"Honey, a picture, for your scrapbook, of you showing your scrapbook."
" A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. " John Grogan
Ryan, Kyle and Dylan hugged and kissed Mulligan over and over again during our visit.
From one of my favorite books, "Marley and Me":
"Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things- a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty"John
Grogan
As I type this blog post, I keep getting tears in my eyes. Today has been a hard day for Rob, me and the boys. Rob and me, especially. The boys are handling the loss better than the adults!!! However, the truth is, writing about Mulligan and posting these pictures has been therapeutic for me. It's hard to explain if you, reading this post, have never lost a pet that you truly loved. The fact of the matter is: I truly love my dog, Mulligan. He really was the BEST dog ever.
