Saying Good-bye from 7,440 Miles Away

Chata is very sick.  She is our beloved Boston Terrier.  She has had a problem with her kidneys for a few years and is now in kidney failure.  It is so tough to be 7,440 miles away from her.  I wish I was there to comfort her and love her up to the end of her life.  I feel so badly about not being there.  Bless my parents hearts...they are there for Chata since we can't be.  They are loving her and making her as comfortable as can be.  I am so grateful for them.

It was tough to leave Chata behind when we made this move to Egypt.  We needed to do what was best for her and bringing her here would have been too tough for her.  I still know that she was happier back in the States with a yard and doggy-door which she often used.  In the past year she couldn't even go all night without needing to go out and pee.  We have lived temporarily in apartments with her before and it was tough when she was in good health.  I can't imagine how hard it would have been in an apartment here in Cairo for her.

We have had Chata since she was a baby back in 2004 (over 10 years ago)! We found her through a Boston Terrier breeder just outside of El Paso, Texas.  She used to fit in my hand.

Chata is in my right hand and her twin sister in my left.

I didn’t want a dog but my silly husband convinced me that we should get one.  He had this thing where he wanted to first get plants to see if he could keep them alive, then a dog…then kids.  So we researched breeds and fell in love with Boston Terriers.  Chata has been such a good dog and member of our family.  She was a joy to come home to in our first home in El Paso.  I would teach 2^nd grade all day and it was nice to come home to her, no stress and quiet! 

Then she went with us to Puerto Rico for 3 years.  It was probably her favorite home because of the weather and lizards.  She loved to chase lizards!  Little ones were like toys, but iguanas were more challenging.  I still remember the stand-off she had with one wily iguana that kept trying to whip Chata with her long, spiky tail.  Chata would play outside all day long and sleep with one eye open – always looking for those lizards.  She developed awful allergies in Puerto Rico’s humid climate that caused her to lose her hair in patches.  We spent a lot of money addressing her allergies, her narrow nasal passage, hypoallergenic foods, etc. but she was worth all of it.  

Chata loved the beach.

She loved catching lizards.

She was always on the hunt.

She was my baby when I went through infertility.  When I went through procedures or surgery she was there to comfort me.  Then when I became pregnant and was on bed rest, she was happy to be on bed rest, too. 

Since a puppy she always "nursed" on her stuffed bear.

We temporarily moved to my parents’ house for the rest of my pregnancy and for a couple of months after my twins were born.  My husband had to continue to work in Puerto Rico but Chata stayed with me.  Then after having my twins she was really sweet with them.  I remember one of those first nights when I was sleep deprived and my babies were crying.  Chata was up with me and I remember her looking at me almost asking me “who are these creatures and why are you taking care of them?”  I cried as I pet her because I didn’t know what I was doing – I was so out of my element as a new mother of twins.  Chata was there to support me.  

When my twins were 2-months old we moved to Albuquerque, NM.  I remember holding Chata on my lap and crying most of the drive.  I had no idea how I would care for my babies without my mom’s help and with my husband at work all day.  We stayed in a corporate apartment for a couple of months while we looked for our house.  Apartment living with a dog and babies was not easy.  Chata needed to go outside periodically, but without a fenced yard to open the door to, we had to bundle everyone up in the frigid winter weather and venture outside as a group.  I did enjoy the fact that Chata needed a walk each day; it gave us the excuse to get out of the house.  We had great walking paths at the foot of the Sandia Mountains.  After a few months we found, bought and moved into our home in Albuquerque.  That was over 6 years ago.  Chata loved the yard there.  It was my favorite home out of all the places we have lived.  Our third child was born during this time and Chata and she became fast friends.  In fact, my little one couldn’t get enough of Chata.  Sometimes I would have to rescue Chata from my toddler’s incessant, tight hugs! 

My twins 1st birthday!

Watching Daddy work in the yard.

Chata loved playing frisbee.

In the middle of living in Albuquerque, we spent 17 months in Virginia while my husband took a temporary duty assignment at his headquarters in Washington, DC.  Chata came with us.  She has always gone with us and has been there for every transition.  Chata even dictated our housing choices.  Apartments are tough when there are 3 little girls that can’t be left alone.  We tried out an apartment for several weeks and it was quite the thing for mom, Chata and 3 energetic munchkins to suit up and head out into a big city several times a day.  So we ended up choosing a townhouse more in the suburbs because it included a fenced-in patch of grass that made it so much easier to accommodate Chata’s potty schedule.  But Chata has been an integral member of our family and a best friend to me, my husband and our 3 daughters.  They loved her so much.  And she loved them.  They entertained each other.  They kept each other active and playful.  They spent hours together each and every day.    

 

My youngest had such a special bond with Chata.

We moved back to our home in Albuquerque for another 18 months before moving to Egypt.

Chata would sit like this looking at the fridge each night as she waited for her medicine.

As we debated whether or not to bring her with us to Egypt, we knew it wouldn't be good for her here.  When we returned to Albuquerque following my husband’s TDY, Chata damaged her kidneys by eating several grapes off of our grape vine.  Grapes are toxic to most dogs.  We had to rush her to the vet where she spent a few nights in the vet hospital on IVs.  She came away from the ordeal relatively okay, but it was expensive and she would now be on a daily medication and a new prescription diet.  The vet explained to us that her lifespan would be cut shorter and she would need the medicine to keep her kidneys as healthy as possible for as long as possible.  I worried about her health and the quality of her life would be poor in Egypt.  In our current location, we don't have a yard or any grass nearby, walking her would be difficult, people often poison food and throw it on the street to kill strays, there are too many strays on the street, poor vet care, and just flying her here would have been stressful for her.  The only reasons to bring Chata with us were because we loved her and she was part of our family.  We decided that we needed to love her enough to leave her in the loving care of our family.  It was the right decision.  Chata has been happy.  We had the privilege of spending about 6 weeks with her and my family this past fall.  It was wonderful to be with her.  Chata was doing well and enjoyed playing and cuddling.  When we said good-bye to Chata on 1 November 2014, we didn't know it would be the last time.

On the drive to Arizona from New Mexico.

 

In December 2013 when we left Chata with family in preparation for our move to Egypt, I wrote in my journal, "I think about Chata every time I come home because I am used to having her greet us.  I think about her while I am making dinner and no one comes running when I cut up a chicken.  I think of her when I sweep the floor each night…not something I am used to doing since she was a good crumb eater.  I think of her as soon as I wake each morning because I am used to letting her outside.  I think of her each night when I watch TV because she was my cuddle bug.  I miss her a lot.  More than I thought I would.  I hope she is happy.  I hope she is being treated well.  I hope she behaves as she should.  I hope she is safe.  I hope she is still here in 21 months after we get home."

My heart is broken.  We only have a few months left here in Egypt, but Chata won't last.  She is no longer eating or drinking and is very weak.  My mom brought her to the vet and there is nothing left we can do except try and say good-bye.