My beloved Teddy was my ‘first born’ Chihuahua. He was the first Chihuahua with special needs who my husband and I adopted, and he paved the path for all the special Chis who have since become apart of our family.
There was something about Teddy from the day that I saw him sitting in that kennel with one very broken leg waiting for surgery, curled up and scared at the animal shelter where I volunteered. I had never ever even thought about adopting a Chihuahua, but the Universe had a plan and bringing Teddy home was a done deal.
Teddy’s tough guy attitude is what kept him going - bouncing back time after time from every health setback that he faced. My little fighter. As long as he was given the chance, he lived up to the “little fighter”name.
He was my Bug. My Boo. My Teddy Monster. My heart. My whole heart. Over time, my world transformed so that he and the others who we rescued were my top priority, constructing the other parts of my life around them, around him. I don’t take the blessing of being their person for granted, ever. They are my tiny teachers.
In November of 2015, Teddy came home after a successful surgery to amputate his back right leg. He had a grade four luxated patella that had been causing him terrible pain and he was no longer able to bear weight on the leg. His heart condition had amazingly stabilized to a point where doing this surgery was an option, and although elective, necessary. He amazed everyone. He bounced back happier, healthier and we saw the spirit of our Teddy that had been outshined by pain for far too long as we worked to heal his heart. He fought so hard, surprising us at every turn, so we made sure to give him every opportunity to keep fighting.
But sadly, our happy ending was fleeting. On February 28, 2016 our sweet bug chose to stop fighting - it was just too much and too hard on his little body to keep going. Sometimes fighting, means knowing when it’s time stop. His little heart needed to stop. I didn’t get to say goodbye or kiss him on his little head one last time. And my heart hasn’t and will never recover from that. I’ve buried the ache from it deep, but occasionally it floats to the surface long enough for me to have a good cry and remember my little boo. A part of my heart left this earthly plane with his that day. But with space and time and moving through the grief I can clearly see the blessings of how and why he chose to transition the way that he did - on his terms - in true Teddy fashion.
Teddy was larger than life even though he weighed in at only four pounds. And with his transition I knew that his being here in life was do pave the way for his legacy in death. And that legacy is Teddy’s Heart.
Our Teddy had ever chance to fight for his life - ever single time - because we as family had the resources. Had we not, there were many times throughout his little life that we would have had to make hard, heart-wrenching, and frankly, unfair choices. Choices that no one or no family should ever have to face.
Teddy’s Heart is built on the foundation of Teddy’s fighting spirit and the mission that just like him - all companion animals should have their own fighting chance at life.
