My dog, Princess

When I was in fourth and fifth grade, I decided that I wanted a dog badly. Whenever I babysat my brothers at night, I would write a note for my parents before going to bed about our night and how I wanted a dog. I promised that it would not poop in the grass in the backyard, and that if it even considered doing such a thing, I would shovel it up almost instantly.  I just envisioned how much fun it would be for me to have a dog. At that time, I really wanted to be a mother, and to me, a dog was the next best thing, and the only option for that point in my life. On Christmas during fifth grade, I received a golden retriever puppy named Princess. I loved Princess, but after I went to college, she was getting to be so old that she couldn’t stay outside overnight, and had to be brought in each night in order to keep her warm and away from the elements of an Idaho winter.

On the day of the accident, Princess's health was getting so bad that she couldn't walk on her own, and couldn't lift her hind legs. We knew that she had cancer, and that it was only a matter of time before we would have to put her to sleep. When she couldn't climb into the suburban without help, we determined that it was time to put her to sleep and went to the Veterinarian's office in Idaho Falls to do so. We all cried while putting her to sleep, and saw that it was a huge blessing that I was in town to participate instead of having the family do it while I was in college.

Family

            My name is Tina Marie Davis Rusch. I was born to Kent and Sonja Davis on December 16^th, 1981. My parents met at BYU, where my dad was attending college and had just returned from his mission to Japan before my parents were married. My mom had finished college at BYU before he returned, majoring in Clothing and Textiles. I was the first of what would be five children, the rest of the children being boys. I was born in Provo, Utah, and then when I was little, my parents moved to Salt Lake City, Utah for my dad to finish his training to be a medical doctor. The summer after third grade, we moved again, to Idaho Falls, Idaho, where my dad set up his own medical practice.  My dad’s parents lived in Idaho Falls, and he was mostly raised there, besides the first few years of his life, when his dad was serving in the military and stationed in France. My mom is from Ontario, Oregon, but her father also grew up in the Idaho Falls area, so she visited Idaho Falls as a child on a number of occasions.

            My brothers are Taylor, Colby, Carter, and Casey. Taylor is just a little over two years younger than me. The Junior High and High School that we attended were both three-year schools, so during my 9^th grade and high school senior years, we went to the same school.

The Accident

“Kent, call Tina on her cell phone and see where she is,” my mom said to my dad late on February 16, 2004. They were exhausted after a long day at the cabin in Island Park, with a snowmobile ride and packing up and coming back from the cabin, and taking Princess, our golden retriever that we had as a family pet to the veterinarian to put to sleep.

            My friend and roommate at the time, Angela, answered the phone. When she and dad figured out who the other person was, Angela let him know that we had been in a serious car accident and were in the hospital in Tremonton, Idaho. At first, Dad thought she was kidding. She was not. When Dad asked how we were, she said that I was a lot worse than she was. I was in and out of consciousness, combative, and talked to her briefly. She said that AirMed had been called to come get me from the hospital and fly me to the University of Utah.

            My parents talked to a nurse at the hospital, and gave them my dad’s cell phone number. They said that they would be on their way to the University of Utah immediately. As soon as they hung up, my parents knelt in prayer together.

            They called my brother, Colby, who was in high school and studying at a friend’s house. He knew that something was very bad immediately. My parents were thinking at first that they would leave my brothers at home while they went to the hospital, but Colby informed them that they would be coming as well. My brothers Carter and Casey were woken up and told that they would be coming to Utah.

            Everyone threw three days worth of clothing into bags and piled into the suburban, heading towards Utah with a big snowstorm between them and me.