In April 2005 I adopted a wonderful dog named Chez. The first time I met him I knew he was for me. Even though he wasn’t comfortable with people petting him, especially near his once broken tail, he let me. It was love at first sight.

He joined the family with apprehension and nervousness which quickly disappeared once he knew that I wasn’t going to give up so easily. His first few weeks with us were a struggle. I couldn’t figure out why he didn’t understand a word I was saying to him until I realized that he understood French not English. Seeing as I am not bilingual we worked for several weeks on that hurdle, where things turned around tremendously.

Chez was the most affectionate dog I have ever had. He was apart of my family. Each night he would sleep in my bed contently tucked in between my legs giving me soft moans of disapproval if I moved. During the day he would love to chase his sister Maria around the house, lie for hours in the backyard soaking up the sun, or keep warm by lying on the heat vent.

Whereever I went in the house, Chez was close to follow. Even if this meant I was at the computer desk he would lie in his basket on the desk until I was finished. His favourite toys were a small squeaky duck and elephant that he would spend hours trying to find the perfect hiding spot for. Chez learned to play with other dogs, especially his new found cousins, Sam, Ajax, and Dexter and sister Maria. He loved to chase after the pack wagging his tail and happily barking.

Early morning October 12 2008, in my arms with his sister near by, Chez lost his on-going battle with pancreatic cancer. Even though he had struggled with the battle for the weeks leading up to his passing he was still the happy little man we had known and come to love. I am very happy that he is at peace looking down on us with his buddy Dexter next to him and that we got to spend the short few years together. He brought much joy to our lives and is missed terribly. We love you handsome.