I just wanted to say thank you all to everyone for your kind words for me and Tamara. More for her, though, because it was so sudden, whereas mine was a long time coming. I really wish she loved smaller dogs and did not have to go through this heartbreak so often. Those big guys are just such lovable lugs, but that much love is hard to haul around and they don’t last as long.
Again, thank you.
And for you lurkers, stop being strangers.
On The Road – Tom V – Paris in December
Elizabelle
What a kind message, on such a hard day, for you and TaMara.
It is good that Rosie and Bixby were in the world. Tragic that Bixby got so little time.
trollhattan
Y’all’s pets are our pets. We’re better from knowing them and gutted on losing them. I’m happy knowing we have this two-way relationship when it comes to our treasured critters.
You’re welcome, and thank you.
Gvg
I am sorry for both of you. I never have any good words for these occasions.
Riodawg
I’m so sorry for your losses. Furry companions make us better humans.
CindyH
As a lurker, I’ll come out and say how much I’m going to miss the stories and pictures of such wonderful doggies. I came to this site originally for politics but have stayed mostly for the wonderful pets that so many have shared. Hugs to all of us.
mkd
I loved seeing Rosie being a lover with your father, she was a good soul when the other soul was her kind of people. JRTs are pretty picky. And Bixby was the kinda goof no one could resist
persistentillusion
I mourn with you. Celebrate the lives of all the great dogs! For me, its Cinnamon, Bisquit (her daughter), Tobey and Max, the world’s best Lab. I’m sorry that the loved dog world is smaller by their passing. May it increase soon.
owlbrick
First time (as an adult) I had to hold a dog while letting them go I was wrecked for a while afterwards. A few weeks later, my then gf (now wife) thought to cheer me up with a lighthearted dog movie, figuring it would help relieve the tension. Not knowing any better, she put on Marley and Me. I was pretty weepy after that, and she felt bad for inadvertently making it worse, so we turned on the Arts Channel on Cable. It was playing The Red Balloon. The world has a perverse sense of humor.
Rosie and Bixby were loved and will be missed… mostly because the people who loved them are good people. Thanks for making this place a good place to lurk over the years, and best of luck to you.
Thad Phetteplace
I’ve been mostly a lurker here for years… I remember you posting when you first found Rosie. You have my deepest sympathies. I’ve been down the same road, including with a cranky old tabby cat with which I had a similar relationship as you and Rosie. Strange how even the problem ones have a way of burrowing into your heart.
BeautifulPlumage
Oh my, I just learned about this ?
Thank you, Cole, for giving Rosie such a good home & humans.
And thank you Tamara, for sharing your life with Bixby with us.
Peace to you both.
Jean
As mostly a lurker and occasional commenter, I missed this sad news! I love seeing the photos and stories of your pets, John, and those of Tamara’s Big Guys. The time with our family pets seems so short, it’s so hard to say good-bye, and yet we are so happy to have had them in our lives. My sympathies.
CaseyL
We do a lot of community-based, community-minded stuff on this blog, but I think the thing that really binds us together is our love for animals.
Those of us who have companion animals love talking about them; and know what it’s like to lose them. Those of us who don’t have our own get a little vicarious “pet fix” that way; and so are also in mourning.
WaterGirl
@owlbrick: Welcome, owlbrick!
edit: What a lovely first comment. The universe really did have a perverse sense of humor.
Something similar happened with me after a breakup. A friend thought that going to a drive-in movie would be just the thing, and this movie got rave reviews. Turned out to be a movie about a seemingly perfect relationship that falls apart and the second half is them grieving and trying to move on. I sobbed through most of the movie. Oh well, it was nice to be at a drive-in movie, anyway.
Spanky
Grief has its own schedule of course. But frankly Mr. Cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.
WaterGirl
@Spanky:
If only that were short enough to be a rotating tag.
Hungry Joe
Posts on the loss of pets have inspired me to quintuple (more or less) my already near infinite love for our Alice the Dog, now 14 1/2. Every moment with her is infinitely more precious. We’re SO lucky to have them with us.
Avalie
Rosie and Bixby were very loved and will be much missed. Thank you both for sharing them with us and, as a mostly-lurker, for letting us feel like part of the family. Sending you both extra love and giving my own furry ones a little extra love tonight
hoosierspud
Mostly a lurker. Heard a quote that is so apt about human and pet relationships. “It’s a terrible thing to love a creature that you know will die.” It sucks to lose friends and family, but what would life be without them? I need to snuggle with Bruce Wayne, our 18 year old tabby.
Richard Fox
Lurker here as well. My condolences to you and Tamara on your losses. Such wonderful character pups, always. My best to you.
WaterGirl
@hoosierspud: Bruce Wayne, I love that you named him that.
WaterGirl
All you (former) lurkers are a bright spot in an otherwise really sad day.
Martin
We run between 3 and 8 pets here, with lifespans between 2 and 15 years. We’ve never gone a year without losing a pet. My daughter lost her bunny about a month ago. It never gets easier. We’re down to 3 now while we do a bit house restructuring, then my wife and daughter are planning on either adding two bunnies or one bunny and a dog.
Ida Slapter
Thank you for this thread, John. I didn’t see the blog until later tonight, and I wasn’t going to comment on your and Tamara’s sad news on what were probably dead (pardon me) threads.
I’m sorry for your loss, Tamara. Bixby was such a lovable goof and I loved seeing and reading about his escapades. Goodnight, sweet prince.
And John, I’m sorry about Rosie. I had started reading BJ steadily not long before Lily came into your life, and I remember shaking my head and laughing the first time I read about Rosie just appearing in the road and jumping into your car. Even then I knew you were a mensch. You gave her a wonderful life.
FelonyGovt
I’m so sorry for both you and TaMara. It’s just heartbreaking to lose our sweet furry companions.
Mike in NC
I’ve needed this blog for about the last ten years.
The Moar You Know
TaMara, John: I am so sorry. I have been there. It is awful. Even if you know it’s coming it’s awful. I wish you both solace, and for Bixby and Rosie, Godspeed, doggies. We’ll see you on the other side.
Ksmiami
I’m truly sorry for you and Tamara. Pets make our lives infinitely better.
Ms. Deranged in AZ
I’m so sorry. Words are so inadequate. You both know that most of us have been in your shoes though and my heart aches for you. They will be missed.
hoosierspud
@WaterGirl: He was a kitten at our vet’s and since he had huge ears, they named him Bruce Wayne. The staff came up with the best cat names: Mona Lisa, Freddie Mercury, Mommacita.
DB11
Wanted to add my belated condolences to John and Tamara.
Having lost beloved pets in both sudden and deliberative circumstances, I empathize with the deep sorrow either case invokes.
Seanly
My condolences on the loss of Rosie and Bixby.
I guess I’m mostly a lurker here, but still feel like part of the community. We’re all saddened by the lost of these companions.
Han
@WaterGirl: I took my wife to see Up when she was six months pregnant with our first child. I wasn’t sure we were going to make it through those first ten minutes.
So sorry to hear about both of these. I keep thinking back to a few years ago when we had to euthanize one of our dogs. Hardest part was explaining it to the kids. And like another commenter on a previous thread, we agonized over whether we were doing it for convenience, and in the end probably kept her going longer than we should have. It was just so difficult to say goodbye.
HumboldtBlue
Speaking of love, High on the Hog on Netflix is a work of love. Absolutely brilliant.
LiminalOwl (formerly The Fat White Duchess)
Belated condolences to Cole and TaMara. It’s so hard to lose a beloved pet, or even a liked one. I’m so sorry.
Arclite
Rosie’s requiem was so beautiful John. Sorry for your loss.
artem1s
So sorry to hear the news about Bixby and Rosie. And such wonderful remembrances today from everyone. Such a special place where we get to share furry friends and memories.
something fabulous
I am so so sorry to you both. Per usual I missed the posts in real time, so I am very grateful you added this gratitude follow up post! I remember Rosie jumping into your car and had been hoping she secretly loved you this whole time. I’m glad she had someone–several someones!– to show her mushy side to, but I know deep down she loved you best, for being the one to take her home.
TaMara, what can we say about sweet handsome amazing Bixby?? I know the hole he leaves is the size of his heart, not his body, so it will be a vast space indeed.
Sending love to all, including the ducks, dogs, and kitties; may you all be a comfort to one another.
Nicole
Oh man, I missed the post about Bixby earlier today. I’m so sorry, TaMara. He was such a beautiful dog. Hugs to you and Scout.
Geoduck
Semi-lurker. I haven’t really owned a pet since childhood, but yeah, it sucks.
Cowgirl in the Sandi
John – so sorry for both you and TaMara. It’s so hard to lose a pet but as President Biden says (sort of) ‘there will come a day when the thought of your pup will bring a smile to your lips rather than a tear to your eye.’ Be well.
sfinny
So sorry for both of you. It is just a heart wrenching experience. Although I have had pets all of my life, it was only in 2018 that I had to make the decision and carry out the death of a loved pet. And the Balloon Juice family were there for me, as they are for you.
Diceros bicornis
I too nearly missed all of this sad news – as a lurker in a far away time zone I mostly end up reading posts and comments that are sometimes a few days or at least many hours old, and feel weird about adding late comments. I appreciate that you added this post especially because I hadn’t yet heard that we all lost both Bixby and Rosie. People around the world are sad about the departure of your and Tamara’s beloved doggos. As we have for other pets of various species. What does that say about this “come for the politics stay for the snark” blog community
NotMax
@Diceros bicornis
Some here (wouldn’t hazard a guess on a percentage but suspect it is more than you might guess) do take note in Recent Comments when a comment on an older thread has been added and may be prone to click through to read it/them. All the more if it’s been added by a nym we’re accustomed to seeing. Familiarity breeds clicks.
mrmoshpotato
@trollhattan:
Totally. And we all love that you share them with us.
Desargues
It broke my heart to hear about Rosie. I had a secret bond with that girl — I totally related to what she must have gone through, and I always rooted for that scruffy little JRT. I’ll miss her dearly, but you know what, she knew that you had had saved her life, and in her crabby little heart she loved you for that. See you over the rainbow bridge, Rosalita and Bixby.
Odie Hugh Manatee
If a year of our lives is seven in dog years, each day of our lives is a week of theirs. It all goes too damned fast but at least we are fortunate to have them share their lives with us.
@Diceros bicornis:
Don’t be concerned about commenting in old threads, it’s a bit of a tradition here for some of us. Nobody gives a fudge about late comments to a thread and that’s what the Recent Comments section of the main page is for (to be noticed in an old thread)!
Marcelo
I’m sorry for your loss and for Tamara’s as well. You did AMAZING with Rosie, you really did. Your heart is so big even my wife who doesn’t read your blog knows all about it. I told my wife, and she said “Oh, Rosie? I remember when he got her.” Again, she doesn’t read your blog.
I’ve commented from time to time but it’s never stuck more than the occasional delurking, nonetheless I’ve been a faithful reader for years – I came for the politics but stayed because I like reading stuff by genuinely good people like y’all.
Ruckus
Had a neighbor who had a great dane and a pug. Every time I see TaMara’s pictures I’m reminded of them. The pug made more noise than any other 3 dogs and the dane was just a sweetheart who I never heard a peep from. But seeing them together was hilarious, I don’t think the pug came up to the dane’s knees. And the dane’s shoulders came up to my waist. Two of the most different dogs in one place and they got along extremely well. I’m so sorry for your and TaMara’s loss.
John, it posts like this one that make this the place that it is. It’s like a home with thousands of brothers and sisters. There is joy and pain and loss, there is good food, there is politics to discuss and dismiss, there are friends to be made, and yes lost, there is life here, both the good and the not so much. We learn about each other, in bits and pieces, we can block out those who are only here to cause mayhem and trouble and we don’t have to move or change our phone number. I’ve been coming here for what 15-16 yrs and it feels normal, both the good and the sorrow. Thank you for making a long distance home for a lot of people.
VeniceRiley
Condolences to you both!
Agreed about small dogs… ones with a nice temperament are out there. They’re great, go anywhere, are loved by all their whole lives because they look like puppies for ages and they work it. They poop small. And that’s the best thing after the long life bit, of course.
Yutsano
I couldn’t say anything to you two earlier. My official excuse is I’ve been so busy today. But really it took me this long to process these losses especially with a geriatric border collie. I’m not ready to say good bye to him just yet.
Good bye Rosie.
Good bye Bixby.
You were both good doggos.
stinger
I always thought of Rosie as the eternal teenager — she knew she could be crabby with you and still be safe, still be loved.
One of the good things that comes of sharing heartbreak is the new and occasional commenters. Be bold and comment more, y’all — I’m trying to!
Ruckus
@Diceros bicornis:
I’m west coast US and my waking hours are generally 9-10 and up till 1 or 2, at least now that I’m RETIRED. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of saying that… Anyway I almost always come in at the end of threads or even after they are dead and I comment if I find something that gets my attention. NotMax is in HI and he’s 3 hrs behind me. Amir is I think 12 hrs ahead of blog time. I see no reason you can’t do the same, the two of us wouldn’t be the only ones, not by any measure.
SectionH
@Yutsano: That was me too. I finally posted the lamest kinda posts ever. Because every time I tried to write “better” I started crying again
They were both
SectionH
great dogs in their own way.
Mdub
Hugs to you both. Don’t know what else to say.
lurker
@Diceros bicornis:
@NotMax:
@Ruckus:
Regarding late comments – here’s one…have killed off a few dead or essentially dead threads over the years. People may still see it when they review the thread a few hours or days later (a la your initial comment). If you need the affirmation of someone responding to your comment, this may not be the best strategy though.
lurker
Reserving the right to remain strange. Regardless of what your OP was supposed to mean. Would say the strangeness is in my DNA, but I think it goes deeper than that.
lurker
Have not really tried movies for cheering up someone who lost a pet. On a slightly related note, the following movies:
Dangerous Liasons
Fatal Attraction
Thelma and Louise
Disclosure
Basic Instinct
Poison Ivy
are all poor choices for a first date or a date early in a new relationship. Bonus points for those of you who can guess which ones I tried for that type of thing.
Steeplejack
@lurker:
“All of them, Katie!”
WereBear
This decision is far more art than science. The fact that we worry about it is about us, not them.
Now, I’ve learned to listen to them about when.
It’s the last gift we can give them, and I’ve learned to just fall apart if I need to. It helps.
bluefish
Love means pain. In a good way. And a bad way. The deep bound between dog and human? Undeniable. I’m sorry. Know how much it hurts.
Walter!
lurker
@Steeplejack: close. Dangerous Liaisons came out long enough after I started a relationship that it was not the problem the others were. Someone else should generally pick the movie.
Antonius
So sorry for this morning to realize Bixby is gone too. I’m so sorry Tamara, it’s been such a difficult year for you. Sincere condolences.
Irishweaver
Dear John and TaMara, thank you for the wonderful stories of your pets these many years. My deepest sympathies on your losses.
danielx
So sorry for the loss, both yours and Tamara’s.
Orange is the New Red
Another lurker here, saddened to hear of your losses. Virtual hugs. After 2 years without her, I sometimes wake up at night and think I heard my beloved Space (black cat) in another room. It helps to think they’re all playing together over that Rainbow Bridge.
susanna
What wonderful companions your dogs enjoyed and felt for both of you, John and TaMara. The pain of their loss cuts deeply, but I’m certain each dog would run in circles expressing joy and contentment for what you gave and shared with them during their lives.
It’s been a pleasure and priviledge to enjoy reading of you and them, with requisite photos over the years.
Central Planning
@lurker: You can add Bright Lights, Big City to that list. I crashed and burned with that one.
And, condolences to John, TaMara, and everyone else who has recently lost a pet.
Suburban Mom
Condolences to you both. Rosie always seemed to have a lot of character, and Bixby was a sweetheart. They will be missed by many. And you were fantastic pet parents.
Nukular Biskits
Mere words from a lurker/occasional commenter can’t even begin to salve the hurt.
Believe me, I know:
Requiem for Whiskers
It’s Not Quite Christmas Without Her Here …
But take comfort in the knowledge that Rosie and Bixby had far better lives with each of you than they would have had otherwise.
And that they knew they were loved.
RIP.
Evap
So sorry for the loss of Rosie and Bixby. We lost our sweet Stella a year ago, and I still miss her. Hugs to you both.
slightly_peeved
Occasional poster here.
So sorry for you and TaMara’s loss. Good doggos both.
gbbalto
My condolences to you both. You gave them the best lives.
Ishmael
During the ups and downs, and downs, and… of the last several years, it has been
a life saver to come here for the latest escapades of Rosie, Steve, Bixby, the ducks,
and their families. So very sorry to hear of Rosie and Bixby’s passing, but thoughts of them bring a
smile.
raven
We’re taking a break for a while, I need to heal from my spine surgery. We’ve pretty much settled that we need to go smaller, maybe another Cocker, because even at 50lbs it was hard to get the Bohdi around down the stretch.
mardam
So sorry, John and Tamara. I know Rosie and Bixby meant more to you than can ever be put into words. The pain is acute. But the damage to your soul remains long term. I know how you feel. And I wish you the best.
SW
Here I am in the morning blubbering over a couple of dogs I never met. My best to John and Tamara.
funlady75
@SW: I feel the same thoughts….condolences to JC & Tamara…
TomatoQueen
@SW: That’s what mornings are for, sipping coffee and blubbing, and if it’s blubbing over ones you’ve never met who’ve gone on, then here’s John Hartford:
youtube.com/watch?v=Hfmr-Zn_nRI
Here might be a safe place to mention that I have taken in a kitty, on impulse and against my deeply punitive Yankee conscience’s better judgment. What we’ll do when Merlin comes home (and I think in those terms) I don’t know, but meanwhile here’s a kitty who needed a home instead of a shelter cage, and while still edgy and irritable, I’ve stopped waking up in the middle of the night crying. New boy is all black with a few sprinkles of white, yellow eyes, a vocabulary ranging from tiny mew to MEW all at Simon’s Cat pitch, named Blackjack and called Sweetiepie. Because you were all so helpful to me when Merlin came along, I feel I’ve let you down as much as I’ve let Merlin down, but I’ll never give up on him and hope Blackjack will be a good friend to him.
Pennsylvanian
Yes, I’ve been a lurker here forever. Since John was a Republican, so basically two political lifetimes.
We have lost so many of our beloved furry and feathery friends over the years, but the commitment and support to our animal friends and the adorable, frustrating and hilarious situations have really been a lifeline during the darkest of the recent dark years. From the beloved scowls of Tunch, to the antics of Walter and Rosie and Bixby, there has been much love and joy.
So, so sorry for your losses. There does come a time when we must let them go, but it hurts so deeply. Tears and time. Take care of yourselves and hug your furry friends; they too are grieving along with us.
bjacques
I’m sorry for the loss of your sweet doggos. I remember John when you first got Rosie and she drove you to distraction, but y’all grew old together. And Tamara’s Bixby pix of him being all dawg. Being in a foreign speaking nation, I missed the news, so thanks for allowing us lateomers to pay our respects.
Bagel J
Lurker here. So sorry for your losses. Always nice when there is a pet post to take our attention away from the latest Trumpian threat to democracy. Condolences to John and Tamara and all those who lose pets. It’s been a hell of a last year+, which has to make this even tougher.
Almost Retired
I was off-line yesterday and just saw this. So sorry to you both about your loss. With respect to Rosie, my sons had a dog that — to be gentle here – I struggled to love. He was fabulous with the boys, indifferent to my wife, and seemed to regard me as no better than a cat in human form. He only sorta kinda came around in his last years. But I mourned that dog as much as I did his big, loving, slobbering successor.
Baquist
Miss a couple of days and come back to your loss. So sorry, and your write up for Rosie was awesome. So glad her final years were what they were, and glad that even though you two were functional roommates, she did love and knew she was loved.
Rob Lll
John, I am so sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing Rosie with us — she was obviously a treasure.
TriassicSands
John, I’ve been dealing with extreme heat for the past four days (and an 18-year-old cat severely stressed by the temperatures) so it was only minutes ago that I learned of your loss. You did something truly admirable in giving Rosie a home filled with love and care given how difficult she could be. Many people would have abandoned her or had her euthanized.
I volunteer at a no-kill cat shelter, and something I say about cats is that they are all doing the best they can. Sometimes that may not seem very good when you’re dealing with rescued critters whose histories are a mystery. So, too, with dogs. You plucked Rosie from the road and the likelihood of a grim, possibly short, existence and stuck with her through thick and thin. No one could have done more.
suezboo
your nearly-invisible safrican connection here.we all share in your grief, john and tamara, as your pets were known and loved worldwide and we have all felt that same loss ourselves. my sincere sympathy and condolences to you both.