Our beautiful little dog, Mr. Chip, is now in heaven. We had to finally accept that his last day had come when he stopped eating and could no longer stand. His multiple cancerous tumors could no longer be ignored.
We adopted Chip from a local shelter in 2015 the moment we saw his fluffy tail wag at us. A Japanese Chin– Shitzu hybrid, he was a beautiful dog with a soft brown and white brindled coat. No one knew how old he was. He had several bad teeth (they were removed) a hernia (it was fixed) and poor eyes (one was eventually removed), but he had a joy for life and loved us unconditionally.
When we brought him home, he immediately dove into our green lawn and rolled in the grass as though he’d been waiting his entire life to live in the country. We took him for long walks every day and he loved to run through the paths in the meadow (off leash) beside our house.
We took him to puppy kindergarten for obedience training, but it wasn’t necessary. He was remarkably well behaved and never misbehaved. Chip would follow me around the house and always sat beside me as I worked, wrote, played the piano, or read. He was my constant companion, and I became adept at typing and petting him simultaneously.
In the early morning hours, he would join me in the kitchen as I made coffee and read the news. Then we’d leave for our long morning walk, regardless of the weather. At 5pm, during happy hour, he would join us for cheese and crackers as we sipped our wine and listened to jazz in the living room. In the evenings when we watched TV, he would sit between us on the sofa and sleep.
We’re devastated to have him gone, but we keep reminding ourselves that we gave him a wonderful, happy life. He repaid us every day with his funny smile, gentle licks and swishing tail. Thank you, Mr. Chip, for your love and devotion. Rest in peace and enjoy the soft green grass in heaven.