Farewell Chip

Today is a sad day. We said good-bye to our 11 year old yellow lab, Chip. Well, actually he started out as our son Jay's dog. Then he became more of my dad's dog and friend. You can read about their story in my blog that I wrote in March of last year. Here is the link.

 

Last November we talked about putting Chip down before the cold weather hit because we knew it would be difficult for him to stay outside. However, we just couldn't do it and instead made a nice little bed for him inside during the bitter weather. He actually came through the winter pretty well. But we were wrong in thinking that spring and summer would be easier for Chip. The warm weather brought about things that Chip loved...lawn mowers, four wheelers and people outside. Unfortunately, suddenly he couldn't keep up with the things that he once so easily raced beside or ahead of. Just the short walk out to the shop would leave him so winded that he had to stop and take breaks. He limped badly and wheezed loudly.

 

Besides my dad, the other person that loved Chip fiercely was Megan. She was nine years old when he arrived to live with us and fell in love with him immediately. Through her teenage years and all the bumps and traumas that come with growing up, he was her confidant. She lost two grandparents, saw three older brothers move out of the house, went through the normal "first love" break-ups, and always Chip was there for her. He never let her down and always patiently listened to all her heartbreaks. Whenever, we discussed having Chip put to sleep, her eyes would fill with tears and she would insist that he was just fine. However, even she knew this wasn't true and finally after talking about it for a day, and spending a sleepless night crying over her childhood friend, she woke up with a resolve to get it done and she would do it. Jeremy agreed to go along for moral support.

 

And that is what happened. I called and got an appointment immediately. Shawn and Jared (the boys employee and also Jeremy's brother) helped Megan lift him onto the back of the truck and she picked up Jeremy at work and together they went to the vet's office. Once it was over, Megan said she felt so much better. She knew it was the right thing to do and it was the seeing him alive and knowing what was coming that broke her heart. Here is the picture of her and Chip that she posted on her Facebook wall.

He was a good dog and will be missed. I know it seems silly but I wonder if possibly an old man met Chip and as he gave him a good nose rub, said, "Ah Chippy Boy, how have you been? It's so good to see you Chippy Boy."