Rest in peace Christy dog!!!

This past weekend was very somber for the Muller family. Our family dog, Christy, had to be put down to sleep. She lived a long (Christmas would have been her 15th birthday) and joyful life. Christy wasn’t sick by any means; she just grew old and became very fragile to where she couldn’t take care of herself anymore. So my dad called us all to come say our good byes before he took her in. I had been very attached to this dog ever since we got her so I cried some and am still very sad but I know that she is now with Momma and our two family cats (they died a couple years ago) in a better place. They are in heaven livin the good life.

I remember when mom and dad told us that we would be getting a puppy. It was Valentines Day of 1994. I remember opening a card that had a black puppy on it. At first I didn’t get it. I just thought it was cute card with a dog on it because that is what we usually got- a card with some candy. Then my mom said, “Do you get it?” and I said no. She then said, “You guys are getting a puppy!!!” She was about 3 months when we got her and was the cutest. I have many years of great memories with her. I wrote down everything I will remember of her:

-She was a big fan of trying to chase bottle rockets. To this day we aren’t exactly sure why but she LOVED them. Around the 4th of July of every year we would buy tons of them just to watch her go crazy. She knew what they looked like and would get really excited when we showed them to her. It would take great strength to hold her back while some one lit them. Then once the bottle rocket was set off we would release her and she would literally jump and bark to try to catch them. She would get pretty good air too. It was always fun to watch.

-She didn’t really like playing fetch but she LOVED playing hockey. Well, I guess it’s the same concept. You had to hit the tennis ball with a hockey stick so it would go farther than if you would throw it. She was very picky.

-Like most dogs do, she LOVED going for walks. It got to the point to where you couldn’t grab the leash until the last possible moment because she would go nuts until you left. We would take her down through a mile long trail that led to a local park. I liked to jog down that trail and I always wore the same muddy shoes to jog in. Every time I’d put on those shoes, she knew where she was going. Even when I came home form college for a weekend or a break she would expect me to take her. But nothing compared to when my dad would take her every weekend. She knew when the weekends would arrive and would lay by my dad’s door on those days until he got up in the morning. They went every Saturday and Sunday and she would whine at him constantly while he got ready and made his coffee. She was just always very anxious to go for her walks and loved them. It was a heavily wooded area so she would chase every little creature in site and follow the different smells. She was always non stop. She kept a good eye on me while I was jogging though. She would always make a point to get in between me and the stranger. I guess she was just being protective.

-She absolutely hated the UPS man. I think it was because he almost ran her over when she was younger. But every time he would come down our cul-de-sac she would bark and growl.

-She was never tied up when she was in the front yard. She never wondered too far but would always like to go visit the neighbors. When she saw them drive in or would be around in their yards she would go say hi. They started to get in the habit of giving her treats. She new who had them and would try and visit them as much as she could. Little stinker.

-Did I mention Christy was spoiled? She was sooooo spoiled that she had her own chair and blanket down in the TV room. It was an old recliner chair that only she laid in. If anyone were to sit in this chair she would whine at you until you got up. Even if she didn’t want to sit in it at that very moment she still didn’t want anyone sitting in her chair ever. If there were no seats left, we would have to sit on the floor and that went for company too. Since she had this chair she was not allowed to sit on any of the other furniture. But that didn’t matter when no on was home. There were 2 recliner chairs in the upstairs living room by the window. She would look out the window to make sure that we were all leaving and no one was home. Then she would hop in one of the chairs and would make it face the window so she could see when we pulled in the driveway. You could always tell when she was laying in these chairs because the chair would rock when she got out of it before you got in the door so she wouldn’t get in trouble. She always tried to be sneaky.

-Christy was always a begger. No matter how hard my dad tried to break her of this habit, it didn’t really work. Us kids didn’t feed her much, she just usually got a taste of what we were snaking on. During holiday dinners in the dining room, she would always sit on the floor between me and my sister. She even had a placemat and plate on the floor too. Kara and I always made sure to sneak a taste of turkey and any side dishes we were having. Every year when the family sat down for our holiday meal, she would sit in her spot waiting to get a taste.

-She was my dad’s shadow...literally. Wherever he went around the house she would go too. Weather he was watching TV or working in the garage and yard, she would follow him everywhere. They were best pals.

-She HATED the vet. Whenever she had to go in for a check up my dad would usually walk her because it was only a 10 minute walk. She new she was going to the vet because it wasn’t the normal way they went when they went for their weekend walks. Once they rounded the corner to head to the Vet she would start whining and shaking. Her tail would go in between her legs and she would not be happy the whole way there. In a way I felt bad for her but in another way it was very funny to see.

-Christy also disliked bath time. By the time we got her, all of us kids were too old to take baths. So, when the bath water started running she new it was for her. She would try to hide behind anything she could find just so she wouldn’t have to take a bath. Sometimes it would take a while for us to find her. She was a good hider.

-When my mom was sick Christy would always make a point to check on her 3 or 4 times during the middle of the night. You could sometimes hear her walk up the stairs and go straight into my mom’s room and sniff around to make sure everything was ok.

-I think one of my favorite memories was that she always knew when you were upset or in a bad mood. When I would cry she would follow me around until she could get a chance to give me kiss on my cheek. She was always very comforting and loveable.

Christy was really a “man’s best friend.” We were all very attached to her and really sad to see her go. She was the most loveable dog. I want my future dogs to be just like her. Rest in peace Christy Dog. You will be missed.