Chewy closeup

Guest Blog Post: The Little Guy Who Stole Our Hearts by Debbie Centeno

Posted on by da-AL

Live long enough, and we’re bound to encounter challenges. With the help of a friend, Debbie Centeno (who runs this blog and this blog) uses her grief to help others…

Chewy

I never knew how much a person could grow to love their pet. I wasn’t raised with pets, other than fish in a tank. And, there’s no way you can take them out of the tank to play, pet or cuddle. I just loved my aquarium but in a materialistic way. As an adult, I didn’t think about getting a pet since I was quite busy with three children. But, after my oldest son passed away, and my two other children were no longer small kids, my daughter convinced me to get a dog. So we opted for a rescue.

Chewy as a puppy

I made a few calls to see what dogs were available to adopt. We found a place that had a mama dog who had recently given birth to seven puppies – six female and one male. The male was the runt and was rejected by his mama, but I wanted a female. That was until we met the little guy, of course. All puppies were side by side sleeping on their tummies, except the little runt who was sleeping on his back almost on top of his sisters. He was much smaller than the others. When I saw him – well, I don’t know what I felt, but I just had to have him, so the volunteer picked him up and placed him in my arms, and that was it. I was in love. I handed him to my husband, and he felt the same way. So off we were with a 5-week old 2-pound Chihuahua/Dachshund mix. We named him Chewy, and it suits him well.

Chewy buckled up in a car

Chewy is now 6-years old and 20 lbs. I can’t imagine life without him and don’t regret having followed my daughter’s advice. He is the most loving, spoiled brat ever who stole our hearts. I know he’s not human, but for me, he’s my baby.

Debbie Centaro

Debbie Centeno is a wife, a grieving mom, an accountant, and a travel blogger. Learn more about her here and here.

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Published by da-AL

Happiness Between Tails speaks to and from the heart. It connects lovers — of pets, authors, books — and of my still-unreleased novels, “Flamenco + the Sitting Cat” and “Tango + the Sitting Cat.” The stories are my love letters to all who fear they're too odd, too damaged, too old, too whatever to find happiness. ContactdaAL@gmail.com • BuyMeACoffee.com/SupportHBT

28 thoughts on “Guest Blog Post: The Little Guy Who Stole Our Hearts by Debbie Centeno”

  1. I’ve adopted, lived with, cared for when leaving me, grieved so many times I’ve lost count. I am angered when I hear someone say, “it’s just a pet.” No, it’s much more than a pet. Bringing an animal into one’s home means bringing it in as a family member. And it is just that. I am sharing my food, my bed and my life with a shelter kitty named Gigi. She is probably the dumbest cat I’ve ever owned. But, she is also the most loving. She wakes me every morning washing my face, purring, kneading against my back. I doubt I could live without her. I know someday I will have to, and I dread it. But it’s not now. For now, I can love her.

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  2. Loved this story! I have almost always had rescues for the most part. We just lost one a few months ago, now the other two get spoiled even more. My dad has a long haired dachshund, and he loves him, my nieces have dachshunds, and so does my sister. I am looking to find one next.

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      1. I’ll probably get hammered for this but I much prefer dogs than cats. In saying that when I was young I had a cat that I named ‘Mother Cat’. The reason for the name is that she had litter upon litter and at one stage I ended up with 13 cats. My father took care of them. 😦

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