I got Chili in the spring of my 3rd grade year. He was the runt of the litter then but he grew enormous in no time at all. I remember the first night we had him… he made a mess all over the house. He was a wild dog always jumping and licking and running around. Even at 120 lbs he thought he was a lap dog and would do anything to be close to us.
My brother and I were both too young to fully appreciate the responsibility of having a dog especially a dog Chili’s size. I tried to walk him and I’d be dragged all over the neighborhood. He was always dirty always smelly and always stepping on our toes. So eventually we began taking him for granted. He stayed outside all the time sweltering in the Texas heat. We hardly ever played with him.
Things got better when I got into junior high; I started paying more attention to him. But by then it was too late. Besides having severe canine epilepsy Chili developed a cancerous tumor on his leg when I was in eighth grade. We had it removed and for the next few months I tended to him hand and “paw.” Twice every day I had to clean his incision which was like a golf-ball sized hole in his skin with saline solution. I hated the pain it caused him but more than anything I wanted him to get better. Those last few months were the best of his life. He got to stay in the house constantly.
The entire family slathered him with love and attention. We had finally realized what a special dog we had. No matter how we ignored him teased him and got angry with him he still loved us unconditionally as dogs always do. He always wanted to be touching us no matter what we were doing. He’d inch his way closer and closer nosing under our hand or foot until some part of us was resting on his hair.
One day in the spring of 1998 my junior year in high school I came home and saw Chili lying against the glass door in our backyard. That was his favorite place to lay on hot days… it was in the shade and the glass was nice and cool. I knew though that something was different today. I went over and opened the door and he didn’t even look up to greet me. I knew then but I kept trying to wake him up. I wanted him to just be asleep. I yelled and stomped and shook him but he didn’t wake up.
I love you Chili.
I’m sorry.
I miss you.
Ashley