[wisconsin] Fw: Goodbye to a Hero

[Ann Salazar]

>From Michael Hingson:

GOODBYE TO A HERO

>
It is strange for me to be writing this article while I have feelings of
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both sadness and joy in my heart. Nevertheless, it is something which
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must be done.
>

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I have the solemn obligation to inform you that my hero guide dog,
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Roselle, who was with me in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001,
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passed away last evening, Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 8:52 PM. I am sad,
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of course, because I will miss Roselle so very much, more than any of my
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other guide dogs. I write with joy because Roselle is in a better place,
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no longer feeling pain, while I get to have so many fond memories of her.
>

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Roselle was born on March 12, 1998 at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San
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Rafael, California. I heard right from the start that she was quite
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a mischievous little puppy. She went to Santa Barbara, California to
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be raised by several puppy raising families. Kay and Ted Stern had the
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joy and pleasure of spending the longest amount of raiser time with her.
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Kay and Ted introduced her to airplane flying, New York, snow, and even
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the theater. I must say that I think the culture did rub off on her.
>

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After her time with puppy raisers she went back to Guide Dogs for the
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Blind for training. I think I first met her on November 22, 1999.
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It was obvious from the very beginning that we were a perfect match.
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Roselle was my fifth guide dog. I could tell that she would be an
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excellent guide from our very first walk together. What took me a
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few days to discover was that Roselle was also quite a character; I
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constantly referred to her as a pixie. Almost from the first night
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we spent together I found that Roselle was great at stealing socks.
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She didn't chew them up; she just carried them around and then hid them
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somewhere only to bring them out later just to taunt me. She was always
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willing to give them up undamaged and ready-to-wear although a little
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bit damp. Her tail wagged through the whole experience. In fact, her
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tail hardly stop wagging during the almost 12 years I knew her. During my
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first week with Roselle I also discovered that she was a loud snorer.
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The Stearns told me later that she could snore with the best of them.
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We came home to New Jersey on December 2, 1999. Later that evening
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she met my retired guide, Linnie. Linnie and Roselle seemed a bit
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uncomfortable with each other that night and into the middle of the
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next day. I decided that this awkwardness had gone on long enough
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and brought out a rope tug bone. I made each of them take an end and
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I grabbed the middle of the rope. They started off by teaming up and
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tugging against me. After about 20 seconds of this with mouths inching
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up toward my fingers from both sides I release the bone and let them
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go at it alone. From that moment on they were inseparable until Linnie
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died on July 4, 2002.
>

>
On September 11, 2001 Roselle and I were in our office on the 78th
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floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center when the tower was struck
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by American Airlines flight 11 which had been hijacked and was being
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controlled by terrorists. Our escape from that tower as well as the
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collapse of Tower Two is well known and, in fact, is the subject of
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Thunder Dog, a book written by me and Susy Flory, which will be in
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bookstores soon as well as be available on my website. All I want to
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say here is that Roselle did an incredible job. She remained poised
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and calm through the entire day. She gave kisses and love wherever
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she could and she worked when she needed to do so. I would not be
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alive today if it weren't for Roselle. I cannot say enough about the
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incredible job she did. What Roselle did on 9/11 is a testimony not only
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to the Stern's and the others who raised her, but also to her trainer,
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Todd Jurek, the entire GDB training staff, and all the people who make
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up the wonderful organization of Guide Dogs for the Blind. Most of all,
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what Roselle did that day and in fact every day she and I were together
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is nothing less than the strongest possible evidence I can provide of
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the value of teamwork and trust.
>

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After 9/11, in fact in mid-January 2002, after Roselle and I had spent
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countless hours speaking to the media, and at several events including
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GDB's Holiday Luncheon, and even riding on a float in the Rose Parade
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on New Year's Day, Roselle and I were offered a position at Guide Dogs
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for the Blind to serve as the National Public Affairs Director for the
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organization. Over the next 6 1/2 years Roselle and I traveled hundreds
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of thousands of miles throughout the United States and the rest of the
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world speaking about trust and teamwork, guide dogs, and blindness in
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general in order to help people understand that the real handicap of
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blindness is not a lack of eyesight but a lack of proper education
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about blindness. Roselle took every trip with poise and confidence
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whether it was to Kansas or Korea. She was an incredible traveler and
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once even traveled from San Francisco to New Zealand, a 23.5 hour trip,
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without needing to go to the bathroom once. I did not fare so well.
>

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In 2004, Roselle was diagnosed with immune mediated thrombocytopenia,
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a condition which caused her body to attack her blood platelets.
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Through medications we were able to control the disease and Roselle was
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able to continue guiding. As usual, she worked like a trooper and never
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once exhibited pain nor discomfort.
>

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When Linnie died in 2002 Roselle lost her major tug companion. For the
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next four years I mainly had to take up the slack as it were. We did
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care for some foster dogs from GDB, and in 2003 we adopted Panama, a 12
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1/2-year-old career change dog from Guide Dogs. Panama wasn't a great
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tugging partner because she didn't have the strength to keep up with
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Roselle. In 2006, however, when Panama died at the age of 15 we decided
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to become a breeder keeper for GDB. Fantasia came to live with us.
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She was just two years old and was quite able to give as well as she got
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from Roselle. Again, Roselle found an inseparable friend and made the
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most of it. She still swiped the occasional pair of socks, but Fantasia
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was her main interest. Roselle taught Fantasia how to bark every time
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the doorbell rang and how to beg for treats, although I must admit treat
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begging came natural to both dogs especially when 8:00 PM rolled around.
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In February 2007 during a normal checkup we learned that some of
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Roselle's kidney values were changing for the worse. It was decided
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that the medication regimen on which Roselle had been placed as well
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as the stress of guiding were the causes for her kidney value changes.
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Roselle retired from guide work in March of 2007. It was a sad day for
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all of us, but Roselle took it in stride and soon made it very clear
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that retirement suited her well. After retirement Roselle loved to take
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walks most of the time, she loved her meals, her treats, playing Battle
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of the Bone with Fantasia and later with my current guide dog Africa,
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and of course barking at the ringing of the doorbell. Roselle was the
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loudest barker of the bunch. I have fond memories of Roselle, Fantasia,
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and Africa all tugging on the same rope, all battling each other across
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our living room giving no care to whatever was in their way.
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In 2010, Roselle began exhibiting some chronic back pain. In March
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of 2010, while attending and speaking at the annual convention of the
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American Animal Hospital Association Roselle met Doctor Robin Downing,
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an expert in dog pain management. Robin noticed Roselle's pain and while
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I gave three consecutive workshops she spent time with Roselle. I think
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they got to know each other pretty well that day because right after the
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workshops Doctor Downing, right there on the floor in the front of the
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conference room, gave Roselle a back adjustment which clearly helped
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Roselle and made her back feel somewhat better. We immediately upon
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our return home took Roselle to her vet and started her on a treatment
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of acupuncture, some other back adjustments, and herbs which altogether
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mostly eliminated her chronic back pain.
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Earlier this year we noticed that Roselle was beginning to have a
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harder time standing up on her own, although once she was standing she
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loved to continue her daily walks. She stopped playing tug bone with
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Fantasia and Africa, but she still enjoyed lying in the sun, eating,
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kissing everybody in sight, and barking at the doorbell. Her ability
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to stand on her own grew worse throughout the first half of this year.
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Last week she began exhibiting some other signs of distress and pain.
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On Friday, June 24, 2011 she had to be taken to her vet as she had
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begun vomiting blood. It is suspected that somehow she had developed
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a stomach ulcer. Also, it was discovered that her red blood cell
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count had dropped significantly. Friday evening she was taken to the
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Pet Emergency and Specialty Center where she was well known and would
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receive over night care. She had spent many hours with Doctor Harb and
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the other staff working through her IMT issues. They had also helped
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her in January 2009 when she developed gastric torsion and had to undergo
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emergency surgery to untwist her stomach.
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Yesterday, Sunday, June 26, we visited her in the evening only to see
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her condition continuing to deteriorate. She was in a lot of pain and
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discomfort. There was no one cause for her discomfort, but Doctor Bowie
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of the PESC felt that some of her immune mediated related conditions
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had returned in addition to the possible stomach ulcer. After much
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consultation and discussion we all came to agreement that the best thing
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we could do to help Roselle was to assist her in crossing the Rainbow
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Bridge and go to her friends Linnie and Panama. At 8:52 last evening
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she crossed the bridge and, I am sure, is now more comfortable and has
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all the doorbells she wants to bark at.
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>
How can I possibly say goodbye to a dog who is done all Roselle has done
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and who lived life to the fullest? How can I ever do justice to her
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life, work, and memory? Roselle has been one of the greatest blessings
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and gifts I have ever had the joy to let into my life. God surely broke
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the mold when she came into the world. Including Africa I have had seven
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guide dogs and also I have had the opportunity to see thousands of them
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at work. Roselle is unique without a doubt. She worked through the most
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trying time in our nation’s history, and she was right there unflinching
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for all of it. Her spirit never diminished and, in fact, grew stronger
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through the years after 9-11 which helps me be a better person today.
>

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I thank God for the time Karen and I were allowed to have the wonderful
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creature which was Roselle with us. She touched everyone whom she met
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and I'm sure everyone’s path she crossed is better for knowing her.
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She kissed firefighters in the World Trade Center as we descended the
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stairs. She gave unconditional love to so many people wherever she went.
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She inspired us all and will continue to do so.
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We are about to form the Roselle's Dream Foundation. This has been in
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the works for several months. The purposes of the foundation include
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educating people about blindness, and as donations permit we shall
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assist blind children and later blind adults in obtaining some of the
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technologies which will assist them in learning and working in the world.
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Shortly the website www.rosellefoundation.org will be up and running.
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I hope people will honor Roselle by making donations in her memory to
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the Roselle's Dream Foundation to help us in our work.
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Roselle, your memory will always be with us and I know your spirit will
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continue to touch us all. I know you're watching and you’re nearby us.
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Help us all to be better people and dogs, but most of all be yourself
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wherever you are. I hope you're feeling better now. You have set a
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high bar of love for all of us. Be at peace and know that we shall try
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to love each other as much as you loved each of us on this earth.
>

>
The Michael Hingson Group, INC. “Speaking with Vision” Michael
>
Hingson, President (415) 827-4084 info at michaelhingson.com To learn more
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about my upcoming book, speaking topics and speaking availability please
>
visit www.michaelhingson.com
>



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