The Andrews - Life in Kanab

Rodeo and Jen in Zion National Park November 18, 2007




I have been putting this off because I didn’t think I could put into words what I was feeling or give Rodeo the tribute he deserved. But the Blog must go on and I just wanted to thank each and every one of you who have shared words of love and support during the last month.

Anyone who knew me knew how much My Rodeo meant to me. He was my constant companion, Best Friend, running partner, travel co-pilot, my first son, my confidant, my soul mate, my everything. My days, vacations, work schedule, exercise sessions, relationships, down time, up time, all times were scheduled around My Rodeo. If he wasn’t happy I wasn’t happy and my whole goal in life was to make him happy, at least half as happy as he made me. He was a beautiful dog with an old soul which made him extremely extraordinary.

Although the last four months were hard because he was on a lot of medication and his enlarged heart was causing him to cough he never lost that sparkle in his eye or his ability to chase rabbits. It was on the morning he passed, November 27th, 2007, that his sparkle was gone and his ears were not held high. He had been anxious at night all week. I thought it was his medication or his diuretics that were keeping him up but in the end I realized it was his heart and lungs. But that morning he was up at three and having trouble breathing. He could not lie down although for 45 minutes between 4 and 4:45 he did fall asleep on my stomach, I think the angle was just high enough where his chest wasn’t compressed. Unfortunately, I tried to slowly move and he woke up. I rubbed his chest and he was so tired. He would lie down only to cough and have to stand back up.

The whole family got up early that morning and Daron spent some time with him in front of the fireplace. Rodeo had been “talking” to Daron a lot in the previous weeks. Daron believed it was Rodeo telling him to take care of me. Smart dog.

I remember finding out I was pregnant in July the same time I discovered that Rodeo’s heart had gotten far worse. That summer an Indian from the Kiabab reservation had told me that when a soul leaves the earth it makes room for a new soul.

Rodeo had hiked in all of his favorite spots Thanksgiving week and got to spend time and enjoy the cooking of his Grandpa and Grandma Nagle. I had the week off so I took him to Zion National Park, Tom’s Canyon where he chased Jack Rabbits, Vermillion Cliffs, and his last hike was that Monday, November 26th, 2007 behind the shooting range in a beautiful area that I call Elephant Canyon. He had a great time and we even sat on a rock and hung out in the sun for awhile. He was happy. It was as if he was born to live in Utah. His markings matched the red cliffs and the terrain perfectly and he absolutely loved hiking.

I thank God that I was at the Sanctuary that morning and that Rodeo was put to sleep while we sat in my truck, him in the co-pilot seat cradled in my arms. As he was fading I relived our hiking trips and talked to him about chasing rabbits and deer. I told him what a good boy he was and how much his Mom was going to miss him. We were able to spend time alone after my friends and coworkers and vet left. I told him I would meet him at the Rainbow Bridge just as soon as I could and that he could rest assure that I would be thinking about him romping around in Heaven every single day.