Bruce (Bru)

Bruce (Bru)

12/31/15-5/30/25

My husband, Nick, and I both had past lives before we met and married. Four years into our marriage, we decided that we wanted a dog together. For several years, I had wanted a Rottweiler, and as luck would have it, my oldest son's coworker in Oklahoma was having a hard time rehoming the Rottweiler he had gotten for his former girlfriend. He wanted to keep Bruce, but his female pit bull and Bruce just could not get along. My eldest son reached out to him, and the coworker was more than happy to learn that we wanted Bruce. So, my sons drove Bruce up to us in Colorado, arriving on Bruce's first birthday, 12/31/2016.

From the moment Bruce arrived, my husband and I knew we had made the best decision adopting him. Everyone who met Bruce loved him. He was a gentle, lovable giant. Bruce loved watching television, especially NBA games, riding in the vehicle, swimming, walking, baths, and his adopted fur brother Kodak. Up until his hips got bad, when we hadn’t seen Bruce for a bit we could find him napping in the bathtub, one of his favorite spots. Bruce was a traveling dog and even saw Mount Rushmore in 2018. Nick, Bruce, and Kodak adventured from Denver to Bellingham in late June 2021 to catch the ferry up to Alaska. When the ferry broke down and stranded everyone in Juneau, Bruce and Kodak got to fly from Juneau to Anchorage, where we all called home until last August 2024.

Bruce's final months were spent at our new home out in the Mat-Su Valley. Two weeks before Bruce's journey over the rainbow bridge, when he could no longer enjoy walks, his new love was laying out by the new fire pit. We had hoped Bruce would be able to enjoy one last Alaskan summer, but sadly, his hips completely gave out on 5/29. We loaded him up and took him for his final ride, and then on the morning of 5/30, Dr. Grimes came by to help Bruce cross the rainbow bridge. It's so hard to go out to the garage now.

Kodak, Nick, my sister, and I are all greatly feeling Bruce's absence, but we find comfort in knowing that Bruce lived a great life and brought joy to many in his 9.5 years here on earth.