Hi Mike,<br>Sincere condolences on the passing of Roselle. As partners, you inspired and motivated us all. I know you will wrap yourself in the memories of her love and devotion<br> and smile big and often.<br><br>Best regards,<br>
Gail, Firestone and Alton<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jun 27, 2011 at 9:52 PM, Michael Hingson <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:info@michaelhingson.com">info@michaelhingson.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
GOODBYE TO A HERO<br>
<br>
It is strange for me to be writing this article while I have feelings of<br>
both sadness and joy in my heart. Nevertheless, it is something which must<br>
be done.<br>
<br>
I have the solemn obligation to inform you that my hero guide dog, Roselle,<br>
who was with me in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, passed away<br>
last evening, Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 8:52 PM. I am sad, of course,<br>
because I will miss Roselle so very much, more than any of my other guide<br>
dogs. I write with joy because Roselle is in a better place, no longer<br>
feeling pain, while I get to have so many fond memories of her.<br>
<br>
Roselle was born on March 12, 1998 at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San<br>
Rafael, California. I heard right from the start that she was quite a<br>
mischievous little puppy. She went to Santa Barbara, California to be<br>
raised by several puppy raising families. Kay and Ted Stern had the joy and<br>
pleasure of spending the longest amount of raiser time with her. Kay and<br>
Ted introduced her to airplane flying, New York, snow, and even the theater.<br>
I must say that I think the culture did rub off on her.<br>
<br>
After her time with puppy raisers she went back to Guide Dogs for the Blind<br>
for training. I think I first met her on November 22, 1999. It was obvious<br>
from the very beginning that we were a perfect match. Roselle was my fifth<br>
guide dog. I could tell that she would be an excellent guide from our very<br>
first walk together. What took me a few days to discover was that Roselle<br>
was also quite a character; I constantly referred to her as a pixie. Almost<br>
from the first night we spent together I found that Roselle was great at<br>
stealing socks. She didn't chew them up; she just carried them around and<br>
then hid them somewhere only to bring them out later just to taunt me. She<br>
was always willing to give them up undamaged and ready-to-wear although a<br>
little bit damp. Her tail wagged through the whole experience. In fact,<br>
her tail hardly stop wagging during the almost 12 years I knew her. During<br>
my first week with Roselle I also discovered that she was a loud snorer.<br>
The Stearns told me later that she could snore with the best of them.<br>
<br>
We came home to New Jersey on December 2, 1999. Later that evening she met<br>
my retired guide, Linnie. Linnie and Roselle seemed a bit uncomfortable<br>
with each other that night and into the middle of the next day. I decided<br>
that this awkwardness had gone on long enough and brought out a rope tug<br>
bone. I made each of them take an end and I grabbed the middle of the rope.<br>
They started off by teaming up and tugging against me. After about 20<br>
seconds of this with mouths inching up toward my fingers from both sides I<br>
release the bone and let them go at it alone. From that moment on they were<br>
inseparable until Linnie died on July 4, 2002.<br>
<br>
On September 11, 2001 Roselle and I were in our office on the 78th floor of<br>
Tower One of the World Trade Center when the tower was struck by American<br>
Airlines flight 11 which had been hijacked and was being controlled by<br>
terrorists. Our escape from that tower as well as the collapse of Tower Two<br>
is well known and, in fact, is the subject of Thunder Dog, a book written by<br>
me and Susy Flory, which will be in bookstores soon as well as be available<br>
on my website. All I want to say here is that Roselle did an incredible<br>
job. She remained poised and calm through the entire day. She gave kisses<br>
and love wherever she could and she worked when she needed to do so. I<br>
would not be alive today if it weren't for Roselle. I cannot say enough<br>
about the incredible job she did. What Roselle did on 9/11 is a testimony<br>
not only to the Stern's and the others who raised her, but also to her<br>
trainer, Todd Jurek, the entire GDB training staff, and all the people who<br>
make up the wonderful organization of Guide Dogs for the Blind. Most of<br>
all, what Roselle did that day and in fact every day she and I were together<br>
is nothing less than the strongest possible evidence I can provide of the<br>
value of teamwork and trust.<br>
<br>
After 9/11, in fact in mid-January 2002, after Roselle and I had spent<br>
countless hours speaking to the media, and at several events including GDB's<br>
Holiday Luncheon, and even riding on a float in the Rose Parade on New<br>
Year's Day, Roselle and I were offered a position at Guide Dogs for the<br>
Blind to serve as the National Public Affairs Director for the organization.<br>
Over the next 6 1/2 years Roselle and I traveled hundreds of thousands of<br>
miles throughout the United States and the rest of the world speaking about<br>
trust and teamwork, guide dogs, and blindness in general in order to help<br>
people understand that the real handicap of blindness is not a lack of<br>
eyesight but a lack of proper education about blindness. Roselle took every<br>
trip with poise and confidence whether it was to Kansas or Korea. She was<br>
an incredible traveler and once even traveled from San Francisco to New<br>
Zealand, a 23.5 hour trip, without needing to go to the bathroom once. I<br>
did not fare so well.<br>
<br>
In 2004, Roselle was diagnosed with immune mediated thrombocytopenia, a<br>
condition which caused her body to attack her blood platelets. Through<br>
medications we were able to control the disease and Roselle was able to<br>
continue guiding. As usual, she worked like a trooper and never once<br>
exhibited pain nor discomfort.<br>
<br>
When Linnie died in 2002 Roselle lost her major tug companion. For the next<br>
four years I mainly had to take up the slack as it were. We did care for<br>
some foster dogs from GDB, and in 2003 we adopted Panama, a 12 1/2-year-old<br>
career change dog from Guide Dogs. Panama wasn't a great tugging partner<br>
because she didn't have the strength to keep up with Roselle. In 2006,<br>
however, when Panama died at the age of 15 we decided to become a breeder<br>
keeper for GDB. Fantasia came to live with us. She was just two years old<br>
and was quite able to give as well as she got from Roselle. Again, Roselle<br>
found an inseparable friend and made the most of it. She still swiped the<br>
occasional pair of socks, but Fantasia was her main interest. Roselle<br>
taught Fantasia how to bark every time the doorbell rang and how to beg for<br>
treats, although I must admit treat begging came natural to both dogs<br>
especially when 8:00 PM rolled around.<br>
<br>
In February 2007 during a normal checkup we learned that some of Roselle's<br>
kidney values were changing for the worse. It was decided that the<br>
medication regimen on which Roselle had been placed as well as the stress of<br>
guiding were the causes for her kidney value changes. Roselle retired from<br>
guide work in March of 2007. It was a sad day for all of us, but Roselle<br>
took it in stride and soon made it very clear that retirement suited her<br>
well. After retirement Roselle loved to take walks most of the time, she<br>
loved her meals, her treats, playing Battle of the Bone with Fantasia and<br>
later with my current guide dog Africa, and of course barking at the ringing<br>
of the doorbell. Roselle was the loudest barker of the bunch. I have fond<br>
memories of Roselle, Fantasia, and Africa all tugging on the same rope, all<br>
battling each other across our living room giving no care to whatever was in<br>
their way.<br>
<br>
In 2010, Roselle began exhibiting some chronic back pain. In March of 2010,<br>
while attending and speaking at the annual convention of the American Animal<br>
Hospital Association Roselle met Doctor Robin Downing, an expert in dog pain<br>
management. Robin noticed Roselle's pain and while I gave three consecutive<br>
workshops she spent time with Roselle. I think they got to know each other<br>
pretty well that day because right after the workshops Doctor Downing, right<br>
there on the floor in the front of the conference room, gave Roselle a back<br>
adjustment which clearly helped Roselle and made her back feel somewhat<br>
better. We immediately upon our return home took Roselle to her vet and<br>
started her on a treatment of acupuncture, some other back adjustments, and<br>
herbs which altogether mostly eliminated her chronic back pain.<br>
<br>
Earlier this year we noticed that Roselle was beginning to have a harder<br>
time standing up on her own, although once she was standing she loved to<br>
continue her daily walks. She stopped playing tug bone with Fantasia and<br>
Africa, but she still enjoyed lying in the sun, eating, kissing everybody in<br>
sight, and barking at the doorbell. Her ability to stand on her own grew<br>
worse throughout the first half of this year.<br>
<br>
Last week she began exhibiting some other signs of distress and pain. On<br>
Friday, June 24, 2011 she had to be taken to her vet as she had begun<br>
vomiting blood. It is suspected that somehow she had developed a stomach<br>
ulcer. Also, it was discovered that her red blood cell count had dropped<br>
significantly. Friday evening she was taken to the Pet Emergency and<br>
Specialty Center where she was well known and would receive over night care.<br>
She had spent many hours with Doctor Harb and the other staff working<br>
through her IMT issues. They had also helped her in January 2009 when she<br>
developed gastric torsion and had to undergo emergency surgery to untwist<br>
her stomach.<br>
<br>
Yesterday, Sunday, June 26, we visited her in the evening only to see her<br>
condition continuing to deteriorate. She was in a lot of pain and<br>
discomfort. There was no one cause for her discomfort, but Doctor Bowie of<br>
the PESC felt that some of her immune mediated related conditions had<br>
returned in addition to the possible stomach ulcer. After much consultation<br>
and discussion we all came to agreement that the best thing we could do to<br>
help Roselle was to assist her in crossing the Rainbow Bridge and go to her<br>
friends Linnie and Panama. At 8:52 last evening she crossed the bridge and,<br>
I am sure, is now more comfortable and has all the doorbells she wants to<br>
bark at.<br>
<br>
How can I possibly say goodbye to a dog who is done all Roselle has done and<br>
who lived life to the fullest? How can I ever do justice to her life, work,<br>
and memory? Roselle has been one of the greatest blessings and gifts I have<br>
ever had the joy to let into my life. God surely broke the mold when she<br>
came into the world. Including Africa I have had seven guide dogs and also<br>
I have had the opportunity to see thousands of them at work. Roselle is<br>
unique without a doubt. She worked through the most trying time in our<br>
nation’s history, and she was right there unflinching for all of it. Her<br>
spirit never diminished and, in fact, grew stronger through the years after<br>
9-11 which helps me be a better person today.<br>
<br>
I thank God for the time Karen and I were allowed to have the wonderful<br>
creature which was Roselle with us. She touched everyone whom she met and<br>
I'm sure everyone’s path she crossed is better for knowing her. She kissed<br>
firefighters in the World Trade Center as we descended the stairs. She gave<br>
unconditional love to so many people wherever she went. She inspired us all<br>
and will continue to do so.<br>
<br>
We are about to form the Roselle's Dream Foundation. This has been in the<br>
works for several months. The purposes of the foundation include educating<br>
people about blindness, and as donations permit we shall assist blind<br>
children and later blind adults in obtaining some of the technologies which<br>
will assist them in learning and working in the world. Shortly the website<br>
<a href="http://www.rosellefoundation.org" target="_blank">www.rosellefoundation.org</a> will be up and running. I hope people will honor<br>
Roselle by making donations in her memory to the Roselle's Dream Foundation<br>
to help us in our work.<br>
<br>
Roselle, your memory will always be with us and I know your spirit will<br>
continue to touch us all. I know you're watching and you’re nearby us.<br>
Help us all to be better people and dogs, but most of all be yourself<br>
wherever you are. I hope you're feeling better now. You have set a high<br>
bar of love for all of us. Be at peace and know that we shall try to love<br>
each other as much as you loved each of us on this earth.<br>
<br>
The Michael Hingson Group, INC.<br>
“Speaking with Vision”<br>
Michael Hingson, President<br>
(415) 827-4084<br>
<a href="mailto:info@michaelhingson.com">info@michaelhingson.com</a><br>
To learn more about my upcoming book, speaking topics and speaking<br>
availability please visit <a href="http://www.michaelhingson.com" target="_blank">www.michaelhingson.com</a><br>
Thunder Dog is now available for early ordering on Amazon!!!<br>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Dog-Blind-Triumph-Ground/dp/140020304X/ref=sr_%0A1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289090352&sr=1-3" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Dog-Blind-Triumph-Ground/dp/140020304X/ref=sr_<br>
1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289090352&sr=1-3</a><br>
<br>
<br>
for info on the new KNFB Reader Mobile, visit:<br>
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<br>
<br>
<br>
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</blockquote></div><br>