Chippy Dugan

To all my friends,family and customers...
Today was a tough day for me because I lost my best friend.
My friend sits next to me on my desk in a beautiful oak urn which contains his ashes.
My father and I drove him to be cremated today.
Some of you knew him and some of you didnt.
Those of you who did know him,knew beyond a shadow of
a doubt that he was 78 lbs of PURE LOVE.
We worshiped the ground that each other walked on.
He spent 24 hours a day with me and lived by my insane
schedule. He never asked for anything and was
appreciative of whatever attention I gave him which
was a lot but never enough for me.He went places with me
and waited patiently in the car when I ran errands and
was always happy to see me when I got back to the car.
He never complained about anything. He would lay on
the couch next to me in the office for hours at a time
just to be by my side.He loved his grandpa and his
bed at grandpa's house. he loved the girls at the the Waffle House,
McDonalds cheese burgers. and doggie bacon strips.!
He was the grounding element of my life and loved all those that
liked me or loved me including all the guys at the
shop where we spent most of our waking and even some
of our napping hours. He was born to us by his mother
Dolly,a beautiful fawn color boxer.I did not know his
canine father but assume him to have been a Great Dane.

The moment he was born,there was an immediate bond
and I fell in love with him the instant I first saw
him. He was a majestic creature and had a strikingly
beautiful proud white chest. His eyes conveyed the
essence of pure love without question and without
condition. He was as I proudly proclaim "my boy".the
The tag on my car(actually his car) even proudly
proclaims CHIPPYD.He survived having his spleen
removed, then an enzyme deficiency that reduced him
to a near skeleton.

For nursing him back to health from that,I
owe the last two years of his life soley to Vanessa
and his own strength and desire to live to be by my
side. He then survived being snake bit several times in the
face by a copperhead that once got into the back yard.He
then recovered and survived serious major chest and
lung surgery because of tumors found in one of his
lungs.

He was a remarkable boy and I say boy because he
was way more then just a "dog". He was very much my
son.He had more courage then me and most humans that I
know. He had the pure gentle spirit of an angel and
was sent to me by God to be my protector,my companion
and my shadow.We were inseperable and he was my best
friend.

He was loyal,commited and loved unconditionally,unlike
humans that seldom do.

His vets and assistants at his vets office always
welcomed him and knew him as a regular. They would
always treat him like a little kid and they were
always appreciative of how well he behaved and that he
was a "no maintaince" dog when it was time for shots
or to clip his nails etc.The things that dogs usually
hate and wont hold still for. Even the doctors at the
hospital that operated on him several times through
his life,knew him on a first name basis and always
commented on what a great dog he was. You could do
anything to him and he would never flinch or cause a scene.

He was the coolest dog I have ever known. He was the
brightest light I have ever seen. He was passionate
about riding in his car and he loved his grandpa.He
was perpetually smiling and was such a happy boy.
A week ago my father took him to the University of
Georgia vetrinary hospital where he had been operated
on several times for chest xrays because he had
devoloped a pretty bad cough.My father brought him
back to the shop late that afternoon with tears in his
eyes and my heart stopped beating. The tumors in his
lungs had returned and in full force this time,it was
terminal and inoperable. We were told that his time
would be short and to make him as comfortable as
possible even though all we noticed was a cough.My
world crashed hard and was about to become much
smaller. That news came on Wendsday and that Sunday,
my best (human) friend,Greg Janney took time away from
his family to professionally photograph Chippy in a lush green field on a beautiful warm sunny Sunday.He loved just lying there soaking in the sunshine. He was so happy with not a care in the world.Two nights later he suffered with severe breathing problems while laying on his
bed at his grandpa's house and I had to make the
hardest decision of my entire life.My father drove his
car with me holding Chippy in the back seat to the
emergency vet where he was administered a lethal
injection in the car,stopped breathing and died
quietly in my arms.I was cold and numb and hurting and
in denial of the passing of my very best friend.
Tonight as I write his eulogy with an aching heart and
tears in my eyes,I know he awaits me in heaven and I
cant wait to see him again.

To all of you that have called and emailed me out of
concern we,(chippy and I),thank you.It is heart felt.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this message
allowing me to once again proclaim the pride I felt as
Chippy's "dad" and the love I feel for this precious
boy of mine. To say that I am proud of him is an exaggerated understatement.He will be sincerely missed by myself and many customers,friends and family that loved him. If you pray,please lift him to God in prayer for me.
That would be sincerely appreciated.
God bless you Chippy Dugan...I will see you again some
day son.

We love you with all of our hearts son......
- Your Dad and Grandpa