Roz Gradle Obituary (2006

Roz Gradle, 19, the most perfect Chihuahua, of Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood, passed over the Rainbow Bridge on Cinco de Mayo, 2025. Rozzy was adopted at age 6 from Anti-Cruelty Society by a directionless, confused, and broke law student who was working two jobs. Stephanie had originally planned to meet a pair of medium-size dogs. When she arrived, the staff informed her that the pair was in the process of getting adopted. Although disappointed, she agreed to meet a little scruffy little six-year-old dog she’d seen on the shelter website. Roz made little initial impression upon Stephanie and seemed interested in only sniffing around. Stephanie wasn’t prepared to go home with a dog that day and was a little afraid of the unknown and uncertain if she was ready for responsibility, so she left empty-handed. For the next few days, Roz was on Stephanie’s mind. So Steph decided to take a risk and made a “really clumsy plan” to adopt her after her day at the office. Meanwhile, Roz was featured on the local news, so when Steph got there, the little scruffy mutt had already been seen by several families, none of which were deemed suitable, luckily. Stephanie stepped ahead of an elderly lady to sign the check-in list first. Roz went home with her new guardian that night wearing a Christmas T-shirt reading “I ate Santa’s cookies.” Roz was given ground rules: no sleeping in the human bed, no barking, no getting up on the furniture, no table scraps… the way dogs “should” be treated. It didn’t take long for all of those rules to be thrown in the garbage. Stephanie fell in love with this tiny creature so quickly and so hard; they were in constant physical contact. Roz was so, so special. She was always kind to everyone, no matter what. She fostered so many broken shelter dogs, showing them that they didn’t have to be afraid of the world anymore. Roz made Stephanie laugh with her “coo” song and was just scrappy enough to have a personality but never did any harm. In Roz’s “younger” years, she would jump in Stephanie’s purse at the very sight of it, as if to say, “I’m ready when you are!”. She loved going out and meeting new people. Roz opened her new owner’s eyes to the suffering of animals and how humans selfishly exploit animals for unacceptable justifications. This realization snowballed into who Stephanie is now, and she vows to live the rest of her life trying to pay Roz back. Now as for Roz’ demise: she was 19 years old; quite possibly the oldest dog in Chicago. Stephanie attempted to keep her immortal. Roz had a brush with death in August 2024 but pulled through. With her grade-five heart murmur, glaucoma (she was almost entirely blind), stage-four kidney disease, arthritis, horrific teeth, apparent canine cognitive dysfunction (dementia) and probable brain tumor, nature had to run its course. The latter two maladies were diagnosed two days prior to her passing. The tipping point was about a week prior to her passing, Roz would scream when Stephanie picked her up. There were no obvious or isolated areas of pain, which was baffling. She would also randomly scream throughout the day or during the night when there was otherwise nothing else happening to her. The vet said she was likely in pain all over and gave medications to help with pain and pressure on her brain. Although these meds knocked Roz out, she still woke up screaming. Thus, the hard conclusion that she was in too much pain and needed to be released. Stephanie continued to “bargain” up through to the time the doctor walked in with the needles. The doctor was very clear that Roz was not mentally with us anymore; that her body was functioning on a very basic level. Roz slipped away in the arms of her guardian, who felt her heart stop and her body go limp. Roz was dressed in the same silly Christmas shirt she was wearing on the day she was adopted. She looked so beautiful. Roz is survived by her human being, Stephanie Gradle and many pet friends: Stitchie Monkey, Toulouse Lautrec, Bones, and Carlos. She was preceded in death by her special canine friend Francois. Memorial donations may be made in Roz’ name to the Anti-Cruelty Society: www.anticruelty.org. Cremation arrangements entrusted to Inclusive Funeral Care, 773-318-1305 or www.InclusiveFuneralCare.com.