Dear Future Rosie Pack Leader,
By mutual agreement you will assume pack leadership for Rosie should I pre-decease her. To make the transition easier for both she and you I want to tell you a little about my Rosie.
She's five years old, healthy, and weighs about 7 pounds. As with all of my dogs, Rosie was allowed to develop her own unique personality. You should no know that she does not do "tricks". Were you to ask her to sit, or lay down, or roll over she would look at you as if you were crazy. And, I'm sorry to say she will not come to you on command....she comes to you when she wants to, and the more you are respectful of her, the more she will come to you and beg for lap time.
Rosie is very, very housebroken. She will go to the back patio door and stir around to let you know she wants to go outside. If you are otherwise occupied, busy on your computer, or wrapped up in a TV program, she will stare at you and bark aggressively to let you know she needs to go.
Rose is nearly persnickety neat; she does not lick her privates and she likes having a regular bath, as long as you are gentle with her. She will almost always show reluctance to get in the pool but once there she delights in a cool swim. When she gets tired she climbs up on a pool float and veggies out until her pack leader is ready to leave the pool.
Rosie is not well socialized. She has lived with an old person and she has not been around crowds of people except at family holidays. She is slow to warm up to you but will more than compensate with loads of love once she has gotten to know you. She is not a yapper, though she can be a barker under certain conditions. When she goes into the back yard, that is her territory and she will always emit one bark to let the neighbors, and the birds know that she's out and this is her domain. One bark. When she is let out in the front, if someone walks by on the sidewalk she will bark at them...seeming to warn them not to intrude on her territory. If someone does approach she will retreat to the garage for she is, at heart, a coward. She will never bite, no matter the provocation. She's just not a biter.
Unlike my other Chi, Rosie is not a big eater. She extracts one small nugget from her food bowl, then walks nearly the length of the room to a rug near the door to eat it...then goes back for another nugget. I give her one egg once a week and also give her half a small tin of sardines for her Omega 3 heart health.
Rosie knows that she's my baby and she loves playing the role. She loves me to sweep her up in my arms, cradle her like a baby and say "you're my little stuffed toy, no batteries required...she always flicks out her tongue for a kiss at this.
Rosie loves to take naps with me but she will never voluntarily leave Ginger to share a nap. When I bid her to come take a nap she just sits there. However, as soon as I pick her up and carry her to the bed she is clearly happy about it. She will sit on the corner of the foot of the bed until I have laid down on my side, then she will run up and give me a kiss, then plop on her back, legs straight up, to see if I want to play the game of rubbing her belly. When she does this she looks exactly like a very small teddy bear. I will then rub her belly and stage mock fights with her by running by fingers over her mouth and she will play "ferocious dog" for a minute or two. Once I'm ready to nap she will turn and place her rump against my chest or stomach, nudge her nose under the covers, and sleep quietly beside me. When I awaken she immediately sits up, anticipating leaving the bed. If I just turn over in the opposite direction she will reposition her rump against my back and go back to sleep. She will not leave the bed until I do, and when I do she will leap from the bed herself; she does not like being picked up and put down on the floor.
Like all dogs, if you allow Rosie her dignity, if your respect her and show you care for her, she will return that respect and love in far greater amounts than you could ever give her.
So, future pack leader Brenda or Jennifer; I thank you for having such a great heart to offer to take Rosie into your family if Dam and I are not around to care for her. I wish I could say Rosie is the lucky one but I know in my heart that YOU are the lucky one if Rosie should ever join your pack.
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