Chica
The family dog, Chica, died today. My friend Patty said I could not really call her my dog since she lived with my parents. My parents do not see a need to walk a dog. I walked Chica at least twice a day when I visited. Because of that, she got excited every time she saw me and liked to hang out in my room.
When the previous family dog died, my parents thought they there would be no more dogs in their lives. Then there was relative in Colombia who thought my mother needed a dog. Just as my dad was leaving Colombia, this relative gave my dad a pet carrier with a grey schnauzer.
This was so not the dog for my parents. The previous family dog was a mellow dachshund named Chico. This was a hyper yappy dog. Still they took her in and named her Chica.
My parents came to visit me in Orlando and brought Chica with them. They had not told me about the new addition to the family. It was a bit of a shock, but I took her for a walk and let sleep in my room. We bonded and Chica was excited when I walked into my parents’ house on visits. She would demand her walks and got them.
Chica got into some scrapes. She had an encounter with a car that resulted in her wearing a cone for few weeks. This made here resistant to my usual walk paths. One New Year’s Eve, Chica ran away when she got scared of the fireworks or more likely shots fired in the air. My whole family was down. New Year’s Day that year was on a Sunday, so Animal Services would not open until Tuesday. Fortunately, someone found Chica, and turned her in. Animal Services returned Chica to the family.
For a while, she was having some problems. Chica was going deaf and was walking with a limp. Our walks became shorter. My family thought they would have put her to sleep a month ago but some pain medication made her feel better. A week ago, I went to visit and spent most of Saturday with Chica. I let her get up on the bed, which she seemed to enjoy. Before I left, I gave her the bone of a T-bone steak I had for breakfast.
As I write this it is has been less than a day since she left. I hope that if there is an afterlife for our furry friends, she is with a dachshund having fun time.