RIP Chewbacca (10/4/2006- 11/22/2017)

It feels like a bad dream, one that I’ll wake up from soon.  On Wednesday (11/22/17), the day before Thanksgiving, we said good-bye to our 11-year old Cairn Terrier, Chewy.  That will be a date I forever remember and mourn – just like 1/1/13 – Dillon and 8/28/14 – Mom.  A part of me just wants to crawl in bed and sleep.  I know those I loved and lost wouldn’t want that – they’d want the journey to continue.

So today I want to remember our grumpy little guy, and share lessons we’ve learned from him.

We brought Chewy home early December, 2006.  It wasn’t planned.  Pat had a Cairn Terrier that she adored, Maggie who she lost to kidney disease at 13.  It had been quite a few years since Maggie passed.  We had 2 Labradors at home, a 2 dog family was enough.  One Saturday morning we were driving home to Lakeway, TX and saw a trailer parked at a Car Wash parking lot with a sign – “Puppies For Sale”.  We learned the hard way, you never just stop to LOOK at puppies.   There he was, this tiny, cute tan puppy with black tips – he almost looked like a baby fox – and the puppy breath…..  We were smitten, but a 2 dog family was enough.  We got into the car and were ready to drive away.  I said to Pat, you know we can take him home if you want to.  She slammed on the brakes and the rest is history.

We were worried the big Labradors would hurt our new puppy.  The first 10 minutes Chewy entered the house, he claimed his place – in our home and in our hearts.  He wanted to be the boss, and for the next 11 years, he was.

Chewy looked like the Star Wars Wookiee “Chewbacca” — how many of these pictures can you see the resemblance?

Chewy loved his pack.  He’d follow Izzy our chocolate Labrador around the yard – they were always on patrol.  Izzy was already an old girl at this time so her bonding with Chewy was exploring and laying in sun beams.  He was heart-broken when Izzy left us in the Spring of 2007.  It wasn’t long after that we bought our first RV and the dogs loved the adventures on the road.

Chewy adored our yellow Labrador Dillon.  They’d run and play, chasing each other around the house and yard.  They were play mates, but I do believe Dillon was alpha.  When Dillon was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, our world started to totally revolve around Dillon and his treatment.  We were all lost when Dillon passed.  Chewy would have loved to have been an only dog at that point, but another Labrador entered his world – Beau.  Chewy had a hate/love relationship with Beau.  They would play occasionally, but Chewy felt the need to scold Beau frequently and make sure the newcomer knew his place at the bottom of the pack.

Some of the lessons we learned from this little terror (terrier):

• Have Confidence — Chewy always pranced and skipped.  Walk like you own the place.
• Appreciate gifts from friends — Our friend Suzanne was the dogs Pet Sitter for years.  One of Chewy’s first toys was a gift from Suzanne, a stuffed Eeyore.  Chewy loved this toy and it’s still in perfect condition in the toy box.  
• Love Everyone and believe Everyone loves you — Chewy LOVED people and he would approach everyone he met as a long lost friend.  He acted as though everyone LOVED him.  All was well in his world.
• Take the time to bask in a sunbeam every day.  Chewy loved to lay in the sun, and would do so for hours.

• Always be ready for an adventure.  Chewy was easy going and always ready to go on a new adventure.  He even learned to love playing in water.
• Roll with the punches.  Chewy traveled with us in the RV for 7 years — on the road stuff always comes up.  He was always chill and just rolled with it.

Wednesday, 11/22/17 I was taking him to a Specialty clinic in Tallahassee, FL.  As we headed out I saw this rainbow.  The sky was clear and it had not rained.  I knew those that we had loved and lost were with us, and our little man’s time was near.  Fly free Chewy — we love you!