Lots 'o' things this month.
Let's begin with the sad news that Pip is no longer with us. She was moving downhill and it became obvious for a couple of weeks that she was not enjoying life anymore. She stopped barking, couldn't jump up, had trouble going up a step, and her belly was swelling. We made the choice to put her down and it was very sad. Nils, Addie, Ava and I were there and we cried a lot. Nils didn't shed actual tears, but his eyes got wet, he says.
OPiptuary:
Pip was born Dec. 1, 2012. and acquired by the Rasmusson family on January 19, 2013. She passed away peacefully on February 16, 2026.
From the get-go she was a naughty dog. She never lacked spunk or fake courage. In her puppyhood, she had stand-offs with school buses, a charging bull, and any dog bigger or smaller than her that dared enter her realm.
She had a true passion for chasing birds, and her fondest hobby was perking up her ears when she heard birds in the back yard, going to the back door and once open, charging like the true bird dog she was. She never came remotely close to catching a bird, but her enthusiasm was unmatched.
Though an enthusiastic sniffer, when confronted with a vole or mouse, she was suddenly unable to see her prey unless she was placed directly in front of it, and then she would have her way. She liked to eat dead flies and spiders. She liked to chase lasers up the wall.
She hated traditional dog treats, but loved rotisserie chicken, which is how she learned to sit, stay, stand on two legs, spin, and lay down. She was still mostly really bad at all of those unless rotisserie chicken was involved.
She was good at furniture parkour, and our favorite was when she clotheslined herself on the ottoman.
She loved her family, and when we would come home from being away, she would wet herself and us with excitement, licks, and the zoomies. When we left her, she would howl and cry and depression would set in.
Pip loved going on walks, and if one of us said the word "walk", she would get excited and go toward her leash. Once on the walk, though, she was a total pain in the butt. When we said "Don Joaquin", in reference to the taco place, she thought we were going on a walk, so we started saying it a lot because she was pretty stupid and it made us laugh. Then we had to take her on a mini walk because we felt guilty for making fun of her.
She always thought she wanted to go for a ride in the car, but once she got in the car and we started driving, she would shake uncontrollably. She did love to stick her head out the window and let the wind blow her luscious locks.
She really loved taking the garbage out with Katrina, but no one else.
She only swam once in her life at Bear Lake, but boy was she a fantastic swimmer!
Pip was never accused of being a "good dog" and was sort of embarrassing, but she was OUR bad dog and we loved her. She gave us 13 years of unconditional love and showed us what it really means to be loyal and obsessed. We love you, Pip, and we hope you're finally catching birds in heaven- or hell...whose to say?
In other news:
Brylie started her mission this last week! It feels like we have 2 missionaries!
Congrats, li'l Aan Aan!
Addie is working hard at being a college student. She has a lot of homework and studying and collegey things. She drew this picture of Pip and took this sad picture of Pip during some of her final days.
She also went to Moab with friends, and lots of the friends did a bungee swing thing. Addie is smart and watched them instead. :)
Ava is almost done with drivers ed and her roads, just has a couple more tests to take and should have her license soon! She's plugging away at school and looking forward to being done with this year. Seriously considering graduating early, so skipping her senior year!
We got a new sectional for the basement, and Ava was a big helper in assembling!
We may have a Taco Bell problem in this family.
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