Chewie Baca-Rivera,
Now that you’ve moved on, I have a few things to get off my chest-
You breathed too loudly, you licked too often, and you would idiotically trap yourself in rooms and then try to dig out, effectively ripping up the carpet that I had to fix/replace. You had to be on anti-depressants for over a year because you chewed at yourself nervously… your name sake is not an excuse! You refused to go for a jog but never had trouble running down an animal you wanted to dismember. You would attempt to protect me from all men without any idea who it was, to include our other roommates. Even if there had been an intruder you would have quickly hidden in my room, so why bark at all? You shed everywhere, were a picky eater, and let’s not even discuss the time you almost killed us both by running upstairs while the house was on fire, forcing me to blindly run through smoke to save your ass. Honestly, you’ve cost me hundreds in pet deposits, grooming and vaccines I will never see again…
…and I am thankful for every moment, every dime, and every single one of your damn loud panting breaths.
I will miss you more than you could ever know and I’m so sorry that I was not able to keep you running after 14 years. You were the best-friend a girl could ever ask for and I will ache each time I look into the loving brown eyes of any another animal.
I never stopped and never will stop loving you. I’m sorry I had to let you go and I’m even more sorry you had to feel pain for one more second than necessary because I was unwilling to say goodbye fast enough. I hope that every child gets the chance to know a friendship like yours and mine and knows the pain of losing that bond, if only to force them appreciate the time they had all the more. You will always be the scrambled egg eating, face-licking, and owner obsessed champion of my heart. No one forgets their first dog, and Chewie, you have set the bar in a way no dog could top. You were a trooper, a whiner, and a pain in my ass, but I’m afraid I will miss those aspects about you most of all.
Enjoy the eternal rest and I’ll see you in heaven, where we will once more scamper about in the grass and let the sun kiss our faces. I toast to you Chew, the best dog I’ve ever known.
Oh, and Chewie, one more thing- Keep the Millennium Falcon running, I’ll be there in less than it takes to complete the Kessel Run.
Forever Yours,
Han
