chester (2010)

Almost a year ago:

Last night we did the unthinkable. We knelt in the dirt near our apartment and buried our dog. I dug till my hands bled and my heart had no more to give. It was one of the saddest things I’ve ever done.

We lay Chester in his favorite towel and covered him with dirt, tears flowing down our cheeks. It was sad but he didn’t go out without a hell of a fight! No, he fought to the end. Right to the end!

Earlier in the night we knew all wasn’t well, he was coughing and gasping for air at times, happy the next. He lay by our sides and gave us cuddles and licked us even when he must have been feeling it all slipping away. He looked at us and wanted cuddles even though he must have been feeling terrible.

Then after we got his daily medicine into him, he sat at our table, ate his favorite food, begged for a bath (and happily had one) and lay with us again. He was as white as any angel should be and for a moment he was happy. Then the wheezing started again, he gasped for air, wandered around the apartment and quickly became weaker and weaker. It broke our hearts. Nevertheless his tail was up and he even made for the cheese once more. We could have made a dash to the vet in Seoul but really we knew it would do no good.

Within half an hour he was lying in the dark of our bedroom and we knew, as I think he did, that he was in a good place and just needed to go to sleep. He kept fighting though. We cuddled him, told him we loved him, he looked at us and lay back down. His body twitched and contorted one last time and then it was over. For him it was over, he fought long and hard but had gone to a place where the cats are slow and the fire hydrants on demand.

Not for one moment do either of us regret the short amount of time we had with Chester, all the money we spent or vet visits in the late hours of the night. No, he was worth every cent, every waking moment and ever tear that still passes now reminds us how much he was loved and cared for.

We had great times and trips together around Korea, we met people together and I know he was loved from the far reaches of this planet. He will be forever remembered and never forgotten.