Our Nest is Empty

I found out several years ago that our empty nest had a revolving door. One child would leave, one would still be here, the other would leave, one would come back, etc. over the course of several years. It was easier to get used to that way...then came grandchildren and the nest is very full again from time to time. But on Saturday, we had to have our dog, Roxie, put to sleep and Jerry said, "Well, it's just the two of us now" and suddenly the nest seemed very empty, indeed.

We adopted Roxie 8-1/2 years ago from Pet Orphans. She was in a foster home in Buckhead. For those of you not familiar with the Atlanta area, that's a VERY nice area and she was in a VERY nice house. We joke that we "rescued" her from that and brought her to our house. The info on her said, "Roxie is an ADORABLE 14-week-old spayed female shepherd mix. Sweet as they come! Loves to cuddle under your covers and snuggle close. Very playful, smart, and catching on to housebreaking. She is excellent with other dogs, large and small, and cats. A lucky person or family who adopts this gem!" Her picture, which is too grainy to copy here, showed her looking lovingly at the camera. She would get that look once in a while when she wanted something and Jessica called it her "adoption face". Here she is with Jerry when we first brought her home.

I got Roxie for Jessica for Christmas, 2000. But Jerry had just retired that November and so the two of them were together 24/7. She always followed him around and had to be wherever he was...unless he was in his workshop. He made her nervous when he used power tools. (I understand, Roxie.) She would bring him toys when he was laying on the floor watching TV. If he didn't play with her right away, she would bring another one...then another and another, figuring there must be SOMETHING he wanted to play with. Pretty soon he would have a whole chest full of dog toys! Even though she was his constant companion, she was always ready to curl up on a quilt if I got one spread out. And another thing that happens when a nest starts to empty...when Jessica moved out it was to an apartment, so Roxie stayed with us.

When we got home from our vacation last July, she was acting strange. We saw some things in her that concerned us. Two vets, a specialist, many tests and much lab work later, she was diagnosed with cancer. She hung in there pretty good for quite a long time, all things considered. We could see her getting weaker and it was sad to watch because she still had the heart of the dog we'd always known. She would want to play and go for walks, but would tire sooner and sooner. But just last week she went downhill very quickly...and by Saturday we had to make the decision we knew was coming. Jerry found a vet that would make house calls and would even do an in-home euthanasia. That was easiest for her, but heart wrenching for us.

We will miss this sweet girl very much. And for the first time in about 35 years, we do not have a pet. (Missy, the cat in some of these pictures, died last year.) So today our nest feels very empty.