Good morning.  It is Saturday morning and I am getting ready to take the concession trailer out.  It has been a long night.  As Baby one of my Chihuahua’s has passed away. She has been declining over the last few months.  She had gone blind and could not hear.  Her balance was not good.  And she had dementia.  The last few weeks she could no longer smell.  So getting her to eat was not easy.  And if I tryed to feed her on a day when she did not know me.  That was really bad.

But Thursday morning when I got up.  She came and licked my feet.  I knew that she knew who I was.  So all day Thursday and Friday I keep’t her with me.  She was getting a cold.  I knew on Friday that she was near the end of her life.  So, I did all the things that she liked to do when she was younger.  Some of them she enjoyed and some not at all.  Like she loved to go in the car.  So Friday I had shopping to do for the concession trailer.   So, I took her with me.  I bought her some vanilla soft Ice cream that night.  But she was not much interested.  I heated up her favorite red blanket and wrapped her up in it.  Then I sat down and held her almost all night.  She knew who I was the last 2 days of her life.  But then about 3 a.m. on Saturday morning.  Her dementia set back in and she was scared when I held her.  So I put her down by the heater vent, wrapped in her red blanket.  By 3:15 a.m. she was gone.

Now this comes to a close a chapter in my life that goes back 23 years.  When I first got her mom as a baby. I named her Little.  Her mom was 5 weeks old and not yet weaned from her mom.  But she came to me because her mom  had been struck and killed by a car.  So, I raised her.  She went everywhere with me.  Even to work.  At that time I worked as a bartender in the Longview, Wa. area.  So, I and the other girls would keep her in our staff bathroom.  When our boss Leo would go home.  We would bring her out.  The customers and staff loved her and she was spoiled.  The girls would go to the kitchen and get her a small slice of prime rib and cut it up and heat it and bring it to her.  Or if someone did’nt eat their steak.  They would save it and cut it up and heat it and give that to her.  They always gave it to her in a white to go container.  So, she grew up knowing that if you came home with one of them.  It must have something in it for her.  Even if it did not.  Well when she was a little over 2 years old.  I had her breed.  She gave birth to 3 puppies.  One did not make it.  But the two little girls did.  She and her babies brought much happiness to our family.

My nephew was 6 when they were born.  And he lived 2 blocks away from me.  He would come to my house everyday after school.  Play with the puppies and helped me train them to go thru the dog door with their mom.  And learn to use a sand box.

Well, one of my friends wanted one of the puppies.  So when they were big enough to leave their mom.  My nephew picked out the one that he wanted us to keep and the other went to my friend Cheryl’s house.  She named her’s Tera and we named ours Baby.

So Baby was not the nicest dog to people.  Even thru I would take her to work and let her get to know the girls.  She was not very friendly.  And soon it came very apparent to me that she was not a real people dog.  So, over the years, when people came to visit.  I would have to let them know that she was not one that they could touch.  I never really knew why she was this way.  As she was raised just like the rest of them.  And she loved the family.  But no one else.  When she was 6 years old.  I bought the ranch and moved her and her mom and one other Chihuahua that I had .  Tosa up here.  Soon after we moved in.  My friend Cheryl called and asked if I would watch Tera for a few months.  As they were moving to a new house and she did not want her in the way.  Well that was no problem.  As Tera always loved me.  Infact when Cheryl would stop by and see me and give me a hug good bye.  When she got home Tera could smell me on her and just get all excited and go looking for me.  Or if I stopped by their house.  Tera would get so excited that she would just cry and carry on.  So, having her here would not be a problem.  After all they were sisters and they grew up together.  Well I was wrong.  Baby was so mad that she was here and always wanting my attention that it was a fight all the time.  So, one day I asked my mom if she would like to have her at her house.  Because you see after having her for 6 months at my house and calling my friend about her dog.  I reaized that she did not want her back.

Well, my mom took her home and it was all over.  Tera loved my mom.  She would ride on her cart with her.  Sleep with her.  Go up town with her.  She still loved to see me.  But she was right at home with mom.  Then 2 years ago  my mom got sick and had to go to the hospital for a long time.  While she was there.  Tera ended up with heart failure and we had to have her put to sleep.  Shortly after that The girls mom Little died of heart failure.  Baby, the one with the most problems.  And the one that I thought I would loose first.  Lived 2 years longer then her family.  My nephew went by the house where the puppies grew up with him today to just think about the times with her.  She is in no pain now.  She can play with little frogs and mice all day and never get tired and will be able to see them. You see that was one of her favorite things to do.  One day I found a big bull frog in the yard.  So I called her to come see it.  She was just excited.  Smelling it and touching it with her nose.  But when it jumped.  She stopped.  Her eyes got really big and the hair on her back stood up.  She took off running for the house.  Never to play with frogs agian.

My little girl.  Who loved food, frogs, mice her aunt Connie, Kyle and my friend Jan.  Riding in the car and eating ice cream is now layed to rest.  She will be missed.  But I know that she is in Dog heaven with her mom.  Take care my little chub nutter.  Her nick name from me.