When Chip came into our lives, we weren’t looking to get a dog, as our previous pet had just passed. A stray dog had wandered into a family member’s yard and the dog had a litter of puppies. We went to see them with no intentions of taking one home, but when we saw the brown one hiding in the corner, afraid of everything and everyone around him, we had to have him. Chip was the runt of his litter and he was very skiddish when we got him, a trait that diminished over time, but continued throughout his life. This is just one of the many traits that made Chip the special dog that he was. He was skiddish, silly, loyal, kind, playful, happy, so very loving, and the best companion. As a puppy, he would string toilet paper from the roll out the doggie door going off of the bathroom. He had a path worn in the yard where he would chase us, squirrels, and birds. He laid on stomachs and sat in laps. He liked to lay on the stairs where he could see out the front window and watch for people and dogs walking by. He loved to follow us around the house wherever we went, never wanting to be alone. He always knew when we were sad and needed a friend, and he was always there for us. There wasn’t one time that he didn’t greet us at the door when we came home. One of his favorite things was going on walks. We had to be careful when we used the word “walk” because he would get so excited, jumping up and down, crying with excitement. Every Christmas and birthday we would get him a plush toy that he could easily chew up. It always took him a while to warm up to the toy, but once he did, he would throw it around, pin it down with his paws, tear holes in it, and dig all of the stuffing out of it. These toys only lasted a day or two each, but he loved unstuffing them. Eventually Chip decided that he didn’t want to eat out of his dog bowl anymore. For a while he ate his food from a pile on the floor. When that wasn’t good enough anymore, he got to eat out of a human bowl on a special rug. He was a silly dog. When we moved houses, he was always afraid of the stairs going to the basement, and he never did go down them as much as we tried coaxing him with treats. One of his favorite things was when we would get the electric griddle out to make pancakes. Ever since he was a puppy, we would use the leftover batter to make him a small pancake of his own, which quickly became his favorite food. The last couple years of his life, he became very talkative. We would be watching TV or sitting at the kitchen table, and he would start crying for long periods of time without needing anything, just talking to us! Chip had many nicknames (Boozie, Chippy, Boo, Chipper, etc.) and over the years he got to where he would answer to any of them. He was such a huge part of our lives for so long and he filled our lives with joy, laughter, companionship, love, happiness, and purpose. He was the most loving dog anyone could have. He was with us for fourteen and a half great years and saying goodbye was heartbreaking. We love you Chippy. Thank you for all of the great memories, companionship, and love you gave us over the last fourteen years. The impact you’ve had on our lives will never be forgotten. You were a member of our family and you can never be replaced. We love you forever Chip.
Always in our hearts,
Love Mom, Dad, Kelsi, and Justin