Rosie Caused Me to Pivot

I am a planner. Are you? I’ve been setting goals and making lists since I was a kid. Now I admit, in spite of all the planning and goal -setting, my life has thrown me some whoppers. Some good. Some pretty terrible.

Among the good were sharing the lives of my three amazing children, starting my own dog training , Golden Retriever breeding, and dog boarding business, finding the love of my life after 42 years, ditching everything in my New York world and starting over in Napa, and deciding to keep that fourth puppy.

Some terrible things were almost losing said Dog Business during COVID, two divorces, losing my brother at age 20, losing my Mom at age 17, and realizing my breeding business was done earlier than expected because Rosie could not be bred.

This does bring us to sweet Rosie. She was everything I wanted to breed : health, temperament, and looks- the quintessential Golden. Jazz and Kimmie were done being mamas. Rosie would be the mother of my best litters ever because I improved as a breeder with every litter. Unfortunately, she developed pyrometra when an artificial breeding went awry. Pyrometra is ecoli bacteria which travels to the uterus. For many dogs it is fatal if the dog is not spayed immediately. We did not want to take any chances with our beloved fur daughter. The right decision was to spay her and to say adios to breeding beautiful puppies, possibly forever.

I admit I took this hard. Breeding puppies for me is like a religious calling. So many folks cut corners. I never did which is why I was always a very small breeder, but every pup was a positive addition to their families. I began to look at Rosie in a different light. I realized her path was not the one I had hoped for, but her path would and could change my life in a far more pivotal way.

Rosie is fascintating. She is quirky, stubborn, intelligent, expressive, loving beyond belief, the best nurse ever, and a mischievous little devil. I wanted to share Rosie with the world if not as a mother of amazing puppies, than as a character in children’s books. I began to write. I find there is never enough time to write. It is a passion. It has to be since the payoff and the feedback helps me to practice patience.

I know writing is my path-the one I am now meant to follow. Rosie is right by my side, inspiring me to get to my desk, and get busy!

Pivoting ain’t so bad.