Chile's Adorable Face, Loved By All Who Meet Him
"Life gave me lemons, but I made lemonade....
and lemon meringue pie...
and lemon parfaits.....
and lemon squares
and lemon sorbet..."
Chile Pepper, May 1, 1996 ~ August 23, 2010
Hi! My Name is Chile Pepper, and this is my story, in my own words. My
foster mom named me that because I was such a "hot little item" for
quite some time.
My Early Life ((*:*))
You
see, when I was a tiny pup, about five weeks old, three mean guys cut
off my ears with scissors. Two of them held me down while the other cut
and cut: it hurt a lot; and I cried and cried. A couple of days later I
was still bleeding and unresponsive, so I was taken to the vet, nearly
dead.
(I had Annie look thru my photo album for baby pictures, but they must be in an obscure place....)
Doggie Advocate, Ali McGraw
I
was so limp and listless that the doctors and nurses wondered if I
would live because of the blood loss and collapsed lung. But I was a
brave little boy and very determined that I would live to love another
day! Perhaps you saw me on TV, in newspapers, or featured in an SPCA
video.
Later I was an honored guest at The Roundhouse
(the New Mexico State Capitol) with Ali MacGraw, speaking for
animal/child abuse legislation --- how animal abuse is an indicator for
future, or even current, child abuse in a home....
Determining
that I was an animal abuse case, the Santa Fe County Animal Control
took possession of me. Next, I was turned over to the Animal Shelter for
protection, then placed with a foster family. It was a wonderful place
with three big doggie friends and a little two-year-old girl who loved
me, played with me, and taught me to be gentle with children. My foster
mom, Carmen, taught me good manners; since I was an American Pit Bull
Terrier, she knew I would have to be extra well behaved so that the
terrible reputation that preceded me (very much unfair to my breed!)
would be defused, and I would win people over. She patiently worked with
me, and soon I absolutely loved having my ears rubbed and scratched!
Chile is a big lap-dog, and boy can he smile even in his sleep!!!
Bad Guys Learn To Respect Animal's lives
The
three mean guys, who thought they would make me a fight-to-the-death
dog, went to jail, paid fines, and did community service.
After several months, when the hoop-la was over and people no longer
feared for my life, it was time to go to a new home. My foster mom loved
me, and I made her laugh, but I was too big for her small home.
How I Meet My New Human
Over Christmas, while my foster family was on holiday, I spent a week with my good friend Kate Rindy, director of the Santa Fe Animal Shelter. One day a girl named Annie came to visit me. She had walked over from her nearby office; she often came to visit the shelter and enjoyed saying, "Hi!"to all the animals. This time she made a special trip just to see me! She had several friends in mind who might give me a good home and was really looking forward to meeting me in person. I could tell she loved me right away, and I loved her, too. I jumped up and gave her a great big hug! I put my big pink nose all over her and could smell all the other doggies and horses and country life. I could tell that she loved doggies and let them snuggle on the couch, sleep on the bed, and ride in the truck with her everywhere she went. I knew this was the human for me, but she went away and didn't come back.
There were several families who had qualified to adopt me, and my foster mom took me to some of them for try-outs; but I wasn't happy with them at all and kept my tail between my legs and sulked; so back home we went. I knew I wanted to live with Annie and figured that if I waited long enough and told my foster mom what I liked and didn't like, she would eventually figure it out. I kept thinking of Annie, and as it turned out, she kept thinking of me too.
HOMECOMING!
Then one glorious Saturday my foster mom and I went to visit Annie's home and all her critters. I was joyous beyond belief! Right away I played and ran with a Cattledog puppy about my age named Kanga. Hallelujah, I was finally in the home of my dreams! Annie loves me!
There
is a pond to play in (boy, do I love to swim!), lots of other doggies
who happily accept me, a kitty to sniff, couches and beds on which to
lounge, vehicles to help drive; and the horses leave me the most
delicious round cookies (guaranteed to form great green clouds
four hours later!). I was ecstatic! For the first couple of weeks I was
quite the "Velcro"dog, somewhat unsure if this was a permanent home or
not. I had to be certain not to let my new human out of my sight. I
wanted her to know how happy I was to be part of her family.
Now
it's 2006, and I'm nearly ten. I've had such a wonderful life, in spite
of two TPLO surgeries in 2000 (tore my stifle [knee] ligament and had
the tibia bones realigned). I still run along on horseback rides, where I
can pursue one of my favorite activities, chasing rabbits. I'm not fast
enough to catch them, but what a fun game we play!
Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed it!
Tail wags, wet nose presses, and LOVE,
Chile-the-bean
Barkin' Ball
Each year, the The Santa Fe Animal Shelter holds it's annual fund raiser called the The Barkin' Ball.
For the first two years after his rescue, Chile Pepper was the guest of honor.
He
was very close to the heart of Katy Rindy, long time shelter Director
(now retired), and he loved nothing better than giving her kisses of
thanks for taking such good care of him when he was still a little
pup....
Over the years he has made dozens, if not hundreds, of fans and friends,
and we are SO BLESSED that he chose to come live with us!!!
Chile Pepper's TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy) Story
And what is TPLO? READ HERE for the explanation and photos from a vet hosp. in Colorado Springs....
In 2000, when Chile Pepper was 4 years old, he suddenly became very lame. He had torn the ACL in his left stifle (complex joint in the hind legs of quadruped mammals. It is the equivalent joint to the human knee).
Here is what Chile's legs looked like in his x-rays.........
Because of the strain on Chile's other leg during the long recovery
period, they had warned us that, most likely, he would need TPLO on the
other side.....and sure enough, a few months later he was 3-legged
again...... $4,000 later he was back to feeling good and able to do just
about everything he did before.
BUT I wish I had done the ALTERNATIVES first....read below for details!!!!
Chile was very wiped out after his surgery, and the pain and discomfort quite severe.
Frozen peas were his best friend for several days, and he would happily lie there while they did their cooling magic.....
It was very hard being confined to a tiny area for so many weeks on end; and an insult to be on a leash for potty breaks. Chile was used to running way down in the field to have privacy and stay far from the house.
He did figure out how to relax in spite of the circumstances!
Alternative to TPLO?
Sadly, I did not know that by giving joint supplements
and rest, the ACL can heal itself! My neighbor's dog tore her ACL, and
TPLO was recommended but was WAY too expensive for her; the only option
was to let her dog heal, and she has!!!
Normally I am not one to run to either a vet or a doctor, but I was
feeling so badly about Chile's severe lameness and pain that I went with
the conventional surgery.....which, by the way, has become one of the
most common surgeries done these days. And now that it is about 75% more
costly than Chile's in 2000, a huge money-maker.......
Even tho Supplements Helped Chile
as the years went by, oh how I wish we had given him LOADS of them when
he first tore his ACL, given him rest, and perhaps he would not have
had to endure the surgeries.... not to mention the atrophied butt
muscles, and knock-knees. I must get a photo of Chile and Frazier side
by side for the comparison!
Tigger's mom has written a FABULOUS webpage about Tigger's NON-TPLO recovery, a MUST READ for anyone considering TPLO!
Frazier Joins Our Family
For
a few glorious months, Frazier came to live with us. Pitbull from a
long line of happy family doggies. Chile was from a long line of
fighting dogs....... he was so snuggly and sweet, and loved to be close
to everyone.
Here he and Zahdy share the warmth of the chair!
Chile and Frazier would often sleep together, and Micetro the kitty would often snuggle in.
Chile's nickname is Scarface, from not only the several fights he was in
with dogs, but also the scars from ''sniffing the big kitty'' while out
riding..... we often see BOBCAT out riding!
Sadly, Chile and Frazier chased a rabbit on one of our rides, and they
had a terrible fight. Frazier had many bites on his tummy and under his
armpits; he must have finally had to take some defensive measures, and
his huge, powerful, young jaws took hold of Chile's head. Since then,
Chile has had more scars than ever, and he lost the sight in one eye...
Thankfully my very dear friend Tracy
and her sweetie Steve have taken Frazier into their home; he is so
happy there, and even tho he still loves me and i miss him tremendously,
I get to see him often and love him up whenever I want!
Frazier, pictured with Tracy, Steve, and Gopi, received his Canine Good Citizen award, as did Gopi!
Happy Trails To You, and Sweet Dreams
We thank you for stopping by to visit, and look forward to knowing lots more doggie friends and hearing great stories!!!
My human, Annie, wanted me to close with this thought -- Working From
Home really has been a blessing to her and to me too, since she has been
able to spend LOTS of time with me; she especially loves this since our
canine lives are so relatively short....
If you, too, would like to work from home, please CLICK HERE for a free video series that could change your life, and make your poochies VERY happy too!
RIP, my Beloved Chile~~~
after 14 years, 4 months of fabulous life, Chile has flown to Heaven
7;45am,
8/23/2010~~ Chile just died in my arms ~~ he suddenly raised his head
high, looked me in the eyes for about 10 seconds, looked OVER my head
toward the Angels of Heaven for about 5 seconds, & then died
peacefully... Praise God From Whom ALL BLESSINGS Flow!!! i Praise God
for the gift of by beloved Chile all these 14 years, such a wonderful,
fun life we had together ((*:*))
SEE YOU IN HEAVEN, MY BELOVED CHILE PEPPER!!!
the photo is CHILE's SUNRISE - the actual photo taken the morning Chile Died
Big Smile!!!
and this was last night, big smile, wagging his tail, snuggling under his favorite coat
Chile's Coat & Collar
well-worn, well-loved
Tom & i went to see Avatar the day Rhett died~ we'll go see Avatar again, it's new release is this friday~ a wonderful movie to take the mind away for a few hours ;-)