Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Daisy

 
It's with a heavy heart that I tell you all that Daisy died. She passed peacefully on Tuesday afternoon. Please know how much I appreciate all of your love and good wishes that you've sent our way these past few weeks. It means the world to me.

In her memory, I'd like to share the story of how Daisy entered our lives.

Mr. Rosenberg and I had only known each other a short while. I was working as a coordinator at an outpatient program for teens with psychological and addiction problems. To celebrate three months of dating bliss, Jeff and I moved in together. We shared a 500 square foot single on the top floor of a six-story walk-up. Two weeks later he was ready to get engaged. I threw in a tiny speed bump, requesting that we wait until we had six months together to even start talking about it. Jeff countered with the next most logical commitment step: we should get a puppy.

I had lost my dear black lab, Stella, to doggy cancer five years previous. I knew I wasn’t ready for the emotional obligation of another furry pal, especially one who wasn’t housebroken, so I told Jeff that getting a puppy was a sweet idea and that we should think about it, fully intending to put it off at least until we were living someplace larger than the back booth at Jerry’s Deli.


Two days later, on a rainy afternoon, I took Tommy to Rae’s Diner for lunch. Tommy was a sweet and heavily medicated kid being treated for a number of psychiatric and developmental disorders. He talked slowly and he moved slowly. As we sat at the window with our grilled cheese sandwiches, I noticed a skinny little black dog in the parking lot. She was wrestling with a greasy paper bag she had pulled from the garbage.

“Hey Tommy, look. It’s a puppy.”

He turned to see the wet dog eating old french fries from a styro-foam container. Tommy slowly stood up from the table and then bolted out the side door of the restaurant. I watched as he ran to her and tried to pick her up. Ready to play, she took off down the sidewalk, and Tommy ran after her out of view. I had never seen Tommy walk quickly. I had certainly never seen him run.

I walked outside. Tommy came back into the parking lot, the puppy following close behind him. “We had a dog when I was little,” Tommy said. “Her name was Daisy.” When we got back to the office, I called Jeff.

“Tommy and I found this tiny starving puppy and she was eating garbage in the rain and she’s super cute and nice and I was thinking that we could maybe keep her until we find her owners or something because she’s so little and we couldn’t just leave her out there in the rain and she peed in the minivan but it’s not like you can really smell it in there or anything and I was thinking I could bring her home. What do you think?”

“I already love her,” Jeff said.

We named her Daisy.

47 comments:

  1. It's a very sweet and touching story with a long postscript of "And they lived happily ever after." Thank you for sharing.

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  2. So sorry to hear of Daisy's passing into doggy heaven. She will be sorely missed. Thoughts are with you and Jeff and Bob. x

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  3. I'm so sorry. I love how you met Daisy. She found a sweet home to love.

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  4. Lovely story. Thank you for sharing.

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  5. It sounds like Daisy was destined to become a part of your family and I am so happy that she got to be for so many years. I am very sorry that you will be missing her today.
    Love to you and your family.

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  6. I love you, and Jeff, and Bob, and Daisy. Tears. Such sweet memories. I'm so sorry she left your world.

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  7. You guys, I'm so very sorry.

    What a precious story. Daisy's time with you was obviously meant to be and you are all so lucky for having had it.

    I don't even know what else to say - I'm just so sorry and I'm thinking about you all this morning.

    XOXO
    Anna

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  8. I'm so sorry. Thank you for sharing your wonderful Daisy with us.

    Julia

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  9. I am sorry for your loss. You gave daisy a wonderful life.

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  10. Oh.

    My kids and I are over here moaning.

    Oooooooh.

    We will picture her as you've so lovingly done here: running free, happy, untethered.

    so very sorry.

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  11. So sorry for your loss. I'm going to give my puppy an extra big hug tonight.

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  12. So many hugs coming to you from Wisconsin. She was a lucky girl to have you as her family. Rest in peace, Daisy. xoxo

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  13. I'm sorry for your loss Daisy was a beautiful girl.

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  14. Oh my lady... too many of these passings for you as of late - I send you all the love and all the hugs and all the kisses and all the hugs some more... you're in my heart. I'm so sorry for your loss, sistah. xoxoxoxox

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  15. Thanks for sharing your story. We lost our dog last year after 12 great years with her. Pets are forever in our hearts.

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  16. I can't think of a better parent for a dog than you.

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  17. Oh, Lisa. I am so sorry you guys lost your beautiful Daisy. Much love to you, Jeff, Bob, and Teddy. XO

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  18. I was dreading this post, Lisa. I'm so sorry for your loss. Daisy had a wonderful smile, I'm sure due to the happy circumstances in which she lived her life (especially relative to how it might have ended.) Sending love -

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  19. Sorry for your loss Lisa. I'd give you a hug if I could.

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  20. I'm so sorry, Lisa you have your lost Daisy. Hugs to you, Bob, and Mr. R.

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  21. I love the way Daisy came into your life. I'm so sorry for your loss. xxoo

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  22. I am so very sad to hear of Daisy's passing but so very glad that you found each other and shared so much love.

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  23. I am so very very sad to hear this, but she was *obviously* meant to be in your lives. I love how much she loved you and how much you loved her right back. You are in my thoughts.

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  24. So uplifting and so very, very sad. My condolences to Mr. R., Bob, and you.

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  25. I am so, so sorry, Lisa. I can't imagine how hard this must be. This was such a beautiful love story.

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  26. Hugs to you all - she was so happy with all of you.

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  27. LIS - Such a sad day. Daisy was such an angel and that picture of her is SO PERFECT. That was her. I forgot that story of how you found her. I'm sad, getting chocked up thinking about you all saying goodbye to her. How lucky are we to have pets that happily give so much love & create so much fun and laughter in our lives? I'm going to say a Daisy prayer now. Hugs to you, Jeff and Bob and Teddy.

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  28. Huge Hugs to all. Thank you for rescuing Daisy that rainy day. She only knew a life of love while she was with you. She will live forever in your hearts. I know how hard it is now, but soon you will be able to remember her without tears and with laughter. I will light a candle to help her see the way to Rainbow Bridge, where many of my babies will be there waiting to show her the ropes.

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  29. Sorry for your loss! So glad she was in such a loving family though!

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  30. Oh Lisa. I'm so sorry she's gone. What a beautiful family she found on that rainy day.

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  31. So sorry for your loss. Daisy's story is so wonderful and she has given you memories to last a life time. Thoughts and prayers are with you.

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  32. I am so sorry for your loss.
    What a great memory to share.

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  33. Thank you for sharing this sweet story, and I'm so sorry for your loss. :(

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  34. I love that story even though it made me cry.

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  35. xoxoxox
    Best love story ever.

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  36. What a wonderful story. My son lost *his* dog at Christmas time and a couple of weeks ago we got a new dog much earlier than I expected, but she needed a bilingual home as we live in an English community and she's French (seriously). Its opened a good kind of floodgates in all of us - every day we honour Little Bear in some way, often through stories like yours or through Tilly, our new dog's antics, I'll be sharing this with my son tomorrow. Daisy looks very much like Little Bear,

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  37. Thank you for sharing your story of Daisy. Kinda breaks my heart in some ways but makes it smile in others. We had a street dog named Buddy who developed a similar tumor after we had him for about 5 years. Like you, I was grateful for the time we had between the diagnosis and his passing. I had a kinder gardener, 1st grader and 12 year old at the time. It was the first family grief that we experienced together. Buddy taught us a lot about unconditional love as I'm sure your sweet Daisy taught you. Blessings to all!

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  38. I love the story of Daisy. It was meant to be. Hugs to you all.

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  39. Sobbing. So amazing. She came to YOU! Wow. I'm so very sorry for your loss.

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  40. tears and tears and tears. love to you and your crew. i'm so sorry for the loss of such a sweet soul.

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  41. this is beautiful and heartbreaking. so much love to you all. xo

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  42. I'm so sorry, lady. Losing a pet is heartbreaking. When we lost our Greta, my husband and I locked ourselves in the house all weekend and cried. Now, I find myself looking at my dog - Chi-Chi Boom Boom (her street name) - and feeling terrified that she's getting so old. I've had her since before I met my husband and she's seen me at my worst and my best. Ugh.

    We will throw some balls for your Daisy at the bark park this weekend. Love you.

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  43. Love and sympathy internet hugs to all of you. I know you must be hurting, so thank you for taking the time to post this sweet love story.

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