In Memory of Chessie Olson

Chessie Olson left this earth to frolic with the angels on August 1st, 2011.
Chessie's birthdate is unknown because she was orphaned at a young age. She was found abandoned 5 years ago by Ed. He brought her home and begged if he could keep her. I said she could stay in the garage even though it was freezing cold outside.She had long mangy hair and we weren't even sure what kind of dog she was or if she was potty trained. I know it sounds cruel but you have to understand that I grew up on a farm and dogs were outside animals. They ate our leftovers because we never bought dog food. Ed has such a kind heart and couldn't stand to see her out in the cold, so the next thing I new she was living inside. I made it clear that she was not ever, ever sleeping in our bed. I've seen other people with indoor dogs and how they share a plate of food or kiss on the mouth and heaven forbid, sleep in their beds!! So if she wasn't going to sleep in our bed we had to buy a doggie bed. I finally agreed to let Ed take her to the doggie barbershop just so we could see what kind of dog she was. How shocked we were when she came home - "a Schnauzer". What a cute dog. And she was clean and they had put a little hankerchief around her neck. Next thing I knew we were buying a collar, leash, doggie toys,shampoos & clothes. What do you know, we had another child. If she had one bad habit it was barking at everyone who tried to enter our home or even walk by. We felt protected. Chessie loved to go with Ed and if he left without her she pouted all day. When he came home she would get in her bed and turn her back to him. What a personality. If he left a chocolate bar in the pickup she would sneak and eat it. The grandkids loved Chessie and she loved them. They loved to see the 2 tricks Ed got her to do. She would roll over & she would stand and walk on her hind feet. But only for a treat.
Almost every day for 5 years she went to work with Ed. It was a normal work day the day she died. She was running along side of the pickup as Ed checked the bean field. All of a sudden he heard her yelp, he stopped and when he opened the door he found her laying dead. She had somehow lost her attention for a moment and thats all it took he had accidently run over her. I never thought I would cry over the loss of a dog, or see Ed cry over the loss of a dog, its suprising how much she was a part of our life. There will never be another Chessie. RIP Chessie dog.