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Chelsea tells her white boxer dog stories
Page 3

Growing Old

My boxer dog stories now move into my older years.

Because we liked to ride and we both were fairly large dogs, Mom and Dad got us a Pup Mobile (minivan). It was perfect for us, not to hard to get into and plenty of room for us both to lay down and get comfortable. People should not let their pup ride in the back of the truck without being in a crate, they can and do fall out. Also someone could steal them, feed them poison, etc. It is not a good practice.

My hip dysplasia still made it difficult to get in the pup mobile, so Mom or Dad would lift up my rear end so I could get in. As I got older, I still enjoyed riding, but I was always glad to get home.

If we had been gone for several days, I would do my "happy dance" which consisted of running a little, stopping and standing with my front legs wide apart and swinging my head from side to side, with my tongue lolled out and just acting silly. I would even go outside and sniff my backyard!

When I was younger dad taught me a trick that I never forgot and always would do for him when he wanted. I would only do it for Daddy, not Mom or anyone else. He would bend over and slap his thighs and say "I'm gonna get Chelsea" and I would stop what I was doing and plop down and roll over on my back for him to rub my belly. I always did it, never once did I not, even when I did not feel good.

The medicine I was taking for my hips made me gain weight, along with the fact I had hypothyroidism. That, and the way I walked with my bad hips led daddy to nickname me Weebles. Because no matter what knocked me down, I would always get back up. I was a fighter, I wanted to be with my family and nothing was going to stop me.

At around nine, I started to have problems with my feet getting hot and itchy. I started to chew on them and mom and dad could not get me to stop. My feet got in really bad shape.

Mom took me to one vet who said I needed allergy shot's, but we did not have the huge amount of money that would take, so mom gave me some benadryl and hunted another vet. (She is a RN by Profession) We found a nice lady Vet that gave us some medicine to put on my feet and it worked. You can read about it in the foot care page of the site. The point is, like people, get a second opinion. We never returned to the other vet, you either take good care of us or your history!

My Dad was not at home as much a Mom was, and I missed him quite a bit. I was really Daddy's girl. I would always do a happy dance when he came home from work. I loved to sit in his lap when I was I pup, and even though I was older I would sit on his feet. If I could have gotten in his lap, I would have.

My vision was not as good as the others when I was young , and, like people, mine got worse as I got older. I would sometimes bark at Dad when he came home. He would say "Chelsea, why are barking at your daddy?" and I would run over to him and kiss him. My way of saying "Sorry dad". He understood and we all got a big laugh from it.

At ten I also began to have incontinence some. I would wet my bed at night, but I never was scolded because they knew I could not help it. Mom would just wash our bed everyday. She even bought rubber baby crib pads so it would not soak into the foam in our bed.

My hips were getting worse and it hurt more to go up and down the ramp, so Mom and Dad would let me out the front door where it was level and no ramp.

Not long before my eleventh birthday, Mom and Dad decided that my bad days were more often than my good days, so they made my last vet appointment.

I was brave and still defended my family even in my last hours. On the way to the vet's office, a motorcycle got to close to the back of the pup mobile at a red light and I gave him a growl and "The Eye". He backed off.

Mom and Dad were holding me, kissing me and crying when I went to sleep for the last time. Obie was with me as well....my whole family.....my family that loved me and I loved and defended to my last breath.

I now rest in Boxer heaven with Tigger and Buffy. We will wait here for Obie, Mom and Dad, then we will all be a family again.

As a family, it is hard to describe the loss of one so sweet and special as Chelsea. She was special in so many ways, not just because she was white. She was innocent, yet wary, scared, yet fiercely protective. She was funny without meaning to be.

She was our baby girl....our Weebles.

We miss you so much Chelsea, but we know you are on your favorite loveseat waiting for us.

Chelsea Lynn 11/27/93 to 09/11/04

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