Chavo, my beloved companion, best friend and confidant passed away on May 26, 2015. The people who knew and loved him the most were by his side when he took his last breath. We were so honored and blessed to have had him in our lives for 14 years.
Chavo was a gift from my best friend (Chavo’s “dad”) and we co-parented him for several years. He was supposed to be an apricot toy poodle; however, I’m not sure he was a toy poodle and he definitely wasn’t apricot in color past his first birthday. None of this mattered to us since he couldn’t have been more lovable any other way.
I taught Chavo to fetch at a very young age and it was his favorite pastime throughout his life. Anytime anyone would walk in the door Chavo was at his toy box finding the perfect toy for the person to throw. Perfect to him wasn’t necessarily perfect to us since it usually meant the one that smelled the worst. If that toy didn’t get your attention he had many more. Eventually, if you weren’t paying attention to him you would end up with all the toys from his toy box at your feet. And wow did he have toys since throughout the year he received boxes from his “dad” filled with toys and treats.
We were putty in his paws. When we hiked we usually ended up putting him in one of our backpacks. When we biked he would try to jump out of the bicycle trailer to be close to us. If I was out of town and he stayed at his other mother’s home he had no problem thinking that he should be the center of attention even though she had pets of her own. He would jump up on her bed at night and decide that he was the one that should be sleeping right next to her. He always got his way.
When I would leave the house he would run to the sofa and jump up to the window to watch me go. And when I returned he was there looking out the window waiting for me. He slept next to me every night and would wake me in the mornings by placing his face 3 inches away from mine and staring.
As he aged his hearing diminished; however, it’s funny that he always heard the sound of an M&M accidently dropping from my hand onto the kitchen floor. Thinking back on it now maybe he had selective hearing.
Chavo, I smile as I think back to one Thanksgiving when after seasoning a turkey to fry you found a short window of opportunity to put your own touches on it by licking the seasoning off of the turkey. What could we do but laugh. Or the time that you decided that the Halloween rubber witch decoration looked like a fine toy to fetch. You would drag it towards me, then stop to see what I was doing and drag it a little more. What could I do once you got it to me but throw it for you to fetch.
I’m so happy that your “dad” suggested that I chronicle your life in photos so not only do I hold you in my heart, but I can hold the photos and feel joy. I hope we brought as much joy to your life as you did to ours.
Chavo, I loved you and still love you with all of my heart.
We will never, ever forget you Chavo and we can smile thinking of you running across the yard trying to catch bunnies. You never came close but we didn’t tell you that. Maybe you are catching up to them now. Happy Trails Chavo you are and will always be missed.